


Not What You Expect

by anoonzee



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bookstore employees, F/M, M/M, Some supernatural shenanigans, Vampire Kylo Ren, Werewolf Phasma, You Have Been Warned, cracktastic, secretly hoarding romance novels, vampire hux
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2018-11-16 21:54:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 31,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11261754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anoonzee/pseuds/anoonzee
Summary: You're always the person to close up shop at Ileenium Bookstore. You can't help staying up late to read your favorite historical romance novels and you always look forward to the end of the workweek in order to unwind with friends at the F.O. Bar. While closing up after a hectic sales day, you feel that someone is watching you from the shadows.Note: Changed the rating for now.*





	1. Chapter 1

You always dread the month before the official start of the school year. As a sales employee of Ileenium, it's all hands on deck when the hordes of parents and their kids converge on the small bookstore to stock up on the required textbooks and supplies. It's good for business, but it's hell on your body. Even the owners, Poe Dameron and Finn Storm, got out of their office to assist the staff of four with the rush.

"How're you holding up [Y/N]?" asked Finn as he handed you a cup of coffee and a cinnamon danish from Takodana Cafe during a rare lull in the afternoon. Behind you, his husband Poe was handing out coffee and pastries to your co-workers Jessika, Connie, and Snap.

"Couldn't be better, boss," you murmured. You thanked him quietly before taking the lid off the cup and putting in a sachet of creamer and two of the brown sugar. The thoughtfulness of your employers is what kept you here at Ileenium for the past two years. And the books; the books are a plus. You get first dibs on your guilty pleasure (historical romances), and the employee discount does little to curb your reading addiction. Snap once said that you were Ileenium's best customer, as you work there AND buy enough books to keep it afloat.

"We just have one more week to go," said Poe assuringly before he took a sip from his own cup. He glanced at you and added, "[Y/N], do you want me and Finn to close up shop today? You're looking a little pale there."

You blinked and sat up straighter. "No, I'm fine Poe! I can close the store later, no problem!"

Poe looked at his husband; Finn responded with a shrug.

"If you say so, [Y/N]," said Finn. "Just don't overexert yourself, okay?"

"I swear, I'm fine!" you insist as the two men walked away to their office. You turn around and ask Jessika, "Be honest with me: do I look sick?"

The petite blonde looked at you with a critical eye. "Well, you do look a bit pale," she said. "Have you been getting enough sleep?"

You look away. "Y-yes."

"Sure you do," Connie muttered in disbelief. "I bet you're up all night reading those tacky novels."

"Am not," you huffed before taking a bite into your danish. But they know you too well to believe that.

***

Promptly at 6pm, you flip the sign on the glass door to "Closed" and turn the lock before starting to tidy up. Between you and Connie the bookstore was dusted and swept clean, the contents of the cash register counted and locked in the secure place in the back office, and the trash taken out at the back.

You notice that the display by the window was missing several books. Most likely snapped up by anxious shoppers you thought as you stepped forward to fix the mess left behind. Jessika was usually in charge of fixing up the window display, and you could only imagine her reaction if she came in the morning to open the shop and see her work disgraced like this.

After fixing it as best as you could, you step back to give it a once over.

Then you look up, out beyond the window, and spotted someone looking at you.

Him again, you thought.

He's a tall, slim man. From what you can tell from his face, he's kind of pale with an aquiline nose and full lips. His most noticeable feature was his hair, a mop of reddish gold that gleamed under the light of the street lamp. He wore dark clothes that seem better suited to cooler weather. You don't know the color of his eyes from this distance, but it was obvious that he was staring intently at you.

You first noticed him three days ago. At the time, Poe and Finn stayed longer than usual at Ileenium while they were deciding where to place the display of _The Chronicles of Van Helsing_ , a fictional thriller that became a New York Times bestseller within a week. You were dusting the window display when something made you look up and there he was.

He stood in the same spot as before, under a lamp post in front of Takodana Cafe.

"What are you looking at, [Y/N]?"

"AAAH!"

You whirl around and see Connie standing in the middle of the shop, hooking her arms through the straps of her backpack. You feel like your heart is about to jump out of your chest.

"Jeez Connie, are you trying to kill me?" you gasp.

Connie holds her hands up in the air. "Sorry! You were staring out the window for a while. Just wanted to know what's so interesting out there."

You gestured to the window. "See for yourself."

Connie walked to your side and peered out. "See what?"

You turn and look outside. "Huh, he's gone!" You lean forward and look from left to right, looking for a flash of red hair.

Connie looked at you with a raised eyebrow. "A guy, huh? Secret admirer of yours?" she asked teasingly.

You gave an undignified snort. "Yeah right. No, it's this red-headed guy who keeps standing across the street around this time, looking at the store. This is the third day he's done this."

You decided not to tell Connie that the mystery man was looking at you. Surely it was a coincidence that you spotted him while fixing the display in the shop window?

"That is weird," said Connie, looking puzzled. "He's probably trying to come here to buy a book but couldn't 'coz we're closed."

"Maybe," you murmur uncertainly.

"Let's lock up and head on home," she said.

After locking up, you and Connie parted ways. You declined her offer of a motorcycle ride to your apartment, knowing that he lives on the other side of town. Besides, your apartment is a few blocks away from Ileenium and you wanted to get two orders of beef shawarma at that Persian cafe along the way.

You start walking home, thinking of biting into that shawarma while reading one of your novels. Had you raised your head and looked, you would have spotted the red-haired man tracking your movements from the rooftops.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a night out at the F.O. Bar, you finally come face-to-face with the mystery man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for alcoholic beverages and random attack from a stranger. All the drinks mentioned here were inspired from the Tipsy Bartender Youtube channel. The Coruscant cocktail was renamed from T.B.'s Jedi cocktail. Guess where I got the alias from? :)
> 
> Also, I don't know how schedules at bookstores work. Forgive me.

It's Friday. Blessed Friday! The one day of the week you can stay up all night because you've got Saturday off!

Everyone working at Ileenium has one day off to recharge: Snap's was on Sundays, Jessika's was on Wednesdays and Connie's was on Mondays.

More importantly, Friday was F.O. Bar day. The one day of the week when you let loose with Connie and Jessika and whoever they've managed to invite along. You always clean up earlier than usual on Fridays so that you can close up shop sharply at 6pm. You even offer to take out the trash outside. When you walk back in, you spot Connie fixing the window display at the front.

"Any sign of Mr. Red?" you ask her.

Connie looked up. "Nope," she replied, turning to look at you. "No sign of a red-head anywhere, Chief."

"Oh," you say in surprise. Perhaps he WAS looking for a book and he found it somewhere else. Of course...when did things that happen in historical romance novels ever happen in real life? You feel a little relieved that it wasn't a stalker, coupled with sheepishness that you thought someone was interested enough in you to look at you through the window.

You've gone through life without anyone asking you out. You feel like you should be used to this by now.

You need a drink.

\---

"I wish I could have just taken a picture of the guy just to provide some kinda proof," you slur over your green and blue Coruscant cocktail.

"Hey, don't sweat it [Y/N]," Jessika murmured, sipping her psychedelic-looking Galaxy cocktail. "For all we know, he's probably bad news. Or he's a robber planning to case the joint."

"Wow, from stalker to mafia. That escalated quickly!" Connie snorted as she finished off her Alien Sex cocktail. "Anyway, hold those negative thoughts until we get our shots!"

When you started the Friday night drinking sessions, Connie established the rule of "drowning your sorrows, downing for joy". If any one of you had grievances, something to whinge about, or something to celebrate, you follow it with a gulp of fancy shots.

You quickly drain your pricey drink. "Let's do it!" you say loudly. "I can afford to nurse a hangover tomorrow!"

"Hell yeah, let's get [Y/N] wasted!" Connie hollers as she waves at a waiter. "Give us the--" Connie peered at the menu for a moment "--Barbie's Revenge shots please!"

After several minutes, the waiter returned balancing two sets of shots on two trays. One set of three were colored pink and purple, while the set of six surrounding them were filled with something black. You thought he was delivering the other set to another table until he started unloading the black and red shots on yours.

"Hey, we didn't order these!" Connie said.

"These are already paid for," said the blond waiter. "Complements of the gentleman standing by the bar earlier."

You picked up one of the black shots. On closer inspection, there's a hint of red at the bottom and the rim was coated with black sugar. Looks quite dramatic.

"What do you call these shots?" you asked the waiter.

"Rogue One," he replied before sauntering off.

You tried to look up and search the bar for someone most likely to have sent the extra shots--possibly one with red hair--but the crowded room and your excited companions made it impossible to find out.

\---

Hours later, through the alcoholic haze you prudently called up an Uber to take you home. Jessika called her boyfriend Teedo to pick her and Connie up (they live in the same neighborhood) and the two of you parted ways when your ride appeared: a black SUV with deeply tinted windows. Looks fancy, you thought.

"We should try Uber one of these days," Jessika murmured as you confirm that your driver Caleb Burroughs has indeed arrived.

"Let's do that sometime," you agree as you hop into the SUV and give Burroughs your address.

You feel the SUV move and you settle into the seats. Very nice and comfy.

After a while, you realize that the vehicle was slowing down and made a turn into an alleyway. Illuminated by the headlights was a tall figure in a trenchcoat.

"Where are we?" you ask, sitting up straight. Alarm was slowly piercing through your muggy thoughts as the door to your right opened. A man entered the SUV at the same time that the door locks activated. You turn too late and attempt to open your side of the door.

"Start driving, Mitaka," drawled a deep, British accent.

Mitaka?

The SUV starts moving again. You turn in your seat to view the new passenger. Your jaw dropped when you take in the reddish gold hair and pale features of the slender man who had been looking at you from across the street. In the limited light inside the car, you still couldn't make out the color of his eyes, but you hazarded a guess at green or blue. The intense stare he leveled at you made you nervous.

"You," you whisper, backing away from him as far as you could.

"Me," he whispered back before lunging at you.

You start screaming when he forced you to tilt your head sideways, desperately pushing against his chest to get him off you. Dear God, he was STRONG, his slim build belying the strength he had. You let out a shriek when you felt him kiss the side of your neck, right over a strong pulse.

"This will not take long, m'dear," he murmured against your neck before you felt the pain from two sharp...things.

 _Oh God he's biting me_ , you thought in horror.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You thought you were a goner...

You let out a whimper of pain. Tears cascade down your cheeks as you feel his teeth ease out from the puncture marks he inflicted. He began to suck...

The next thing you know, he pushes himself off you and starts sputtering. To your ever-growing horror, you feel your blood oozing down your neck. You raise your left hand to the puncture marks on the right side of your neck and attempt to stem the flow.

"What the hell?!" he snarled, looking at you in astonishment before spitting out more of your blood.

"General, what's wrong?!" Burroughs or Mitaka or whatever cried out from the front.

"Shut up Mitaka!" the redhead--General?--snarled without looking away from you.

You just stare at him. Then, somewhere from a side of you that you weren't aware you had, you become furious.

"I should be saying that!" you shriek. "What the FUCK...are you some kind of vampire?! Why the hell would you bite me and then spit my blood out?! What the fuck is going on?!"

The redhead stares at you.

"Yes, I'm a vampire," he mutters, baring his teeth. You cringe at the sight of his elongated canines and bloodied lips. "I've been stalking you for a few days, thinking you look absolutely perfect for my next meal. Next thing I know, I take a bite out of you and...and your blood is all _wrong_!"

He sits on the far side of the SUV and runs a hand through his hair, looking quite irritable. You, on the other hand, sat on your side while still holding on to the bite wound on your neck.

"What do you mean my blood is all wrong?" you ask loudly. Hysteria starts to bubble on the surface.

The redhead--or General--waves his hand irritably. "Your blood tastes flat, like you lack something..." He pauses and looks you over before pointing a finger at you. "You should have seen a doctor to have that checked out!"

You look at him incredulously. Is this really happening? You get stalked by a vampire and then accused of having "bad-tasting" blood like it was YOUR fault?

"Are you kidding me?!" you shout. You try not to grin when you see how the General jumps in reaction. "I didn't ask to become your meal, you psycho! I'm just--I'm just minding my own business here! It's not my fault you don't know how to choose your victims!"

He turns sideways to look at you, eyes blazing. But you don't care; if you're going down, you're going down pissed off AND fighting.

"So, now what GENERAL?" you shout. You didn't care at that point if you started sounding hysterical. "Is this the part where you snap my neck or something? Leave me out in the middle of nowhere to bleed out?"

The General just stares at you. Then he reaches forward and waves a hand in front of your face. This is the last thing you see before you black out.

\---

You wake up with a start on your own bed.

At first, you panicked; you don't remember arriving at your apartment. You wondered what was in the black-colored shots you drank last night. And then the red-haired man got into your Uber ride...

You gasp and suddenly sit upright to take stock: you're wearing the clothes you wore yesterday and your purse is placed on the bed next to you. You hop off the bed, staggering a bit as you shuffle to the vanity facing your bed. You take a close look at the right side of your neck.

You remember the piercing pain that broke through skin, the blood that flowed and the lips on your neck. You were expecting bruising, even. What you saw instead was pristine, untouched skin.

You turn around and walk back to your bed. Was it all in your head? No--you couldn't have imagined it. The red-haired man looked repulsed after tasting your blood. What kind of vampire gets grossed out by blood? More to the point, YOU WERE STALKED BY A VAMPIRE.

You shake your head and reach out for your purse; there's a dull throb in your head, and you want to prevent a headache from developing by popping some paracetamol. As you lift up your bag, you spot a piece of paper underneath it. You pick it up and examine it; it's a thick bit of cream-colored stationery with some elegant red cursive on it.

"As soon as you wake up, call the number below and look for Dr. Kalonia at Naboo Medical Center. They're expecting you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're probably wondering where this fic is leading to. You might have some idea, and they could be right or close enough. ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was just the beginning...

If someone had told you that a vampire has taken interest in you and--for some reason--the quality of your blood, you would have punched their arm.

Yet, you're now spending the first half of your Saturday sitting in the clinic of Dr. Miranda Kalonia, an elderly doctor with bobbed, iron-gray hair and a kind face. Despite your misgivings, your curiosity won out (you'll most likely regret it like the proverbial cat) and you called the number on the mysterious fancy paper. You were surprised to find that you were pencilled in for an appointment with the hematologist.

A doctor who specializes in _blood disorders_. The _vampire_ sent you to a _blood doctor_.

After a consultation and getting your blood drawn, you leave Naboo Medical Center with a diagnosis of anemia, a prescription for iron supplements, and a list of dietary requirements to help alleviate your condition. It turns out that the stress from work, lack of sleep, and your irregular monthly flow were contributing factors. You should have suspected something when Poe pointed out your pale complexion.

Before you left the office, you inquired, "Your secretary said something curious: she told me that someone penciled me in for an appointment with you. Would you know who did that for me?"

"Oh, it was a representative from the Arkanis Group of Companies," Dr. Kalonia replied. "They sometimes send patients our way to check up on. By the way, this appointment and the blood exam are already paid for."

Your only reply to that was to give a jerky nod to the good doctor before leaving the clinic.

When you step out of the building, you walk towards a bench and take a seat. You lean forward and put your head in your hands.

This was insane. The day before, you thought vampires were monsters of fiction. You want to go back to your uncomplicated life when the most excitement you had was a new delivery of romance novels and trying out new drinks at the F.O. Bar.

And why, WHY did that ginger vampire want you to have a check-up with a hemotologist? In hindsight, you realized that you shouldn't have had to go to the doctor if it meant that you have a built-in deterrent to becoming his snack.

You rub your eyes with the heels of your hands and sat up. As your eyesight adjusted, you spotted a figure standing by the trees. The guy looked familiar: you saw him last night when he picked you up from the Bar. He wore a dark suit and stared back at you. He gave you a slight nod before walking away.

You jump up from the bench and run for it in the opposite direction.

\---

Hours later, you arrive back at your apartment laden with groceries.

After running, then walking for an indeterminate amount of time, you calm down and come up with a plan. You cool down at bit at a nearby Burger King, wolf down a Whopper meal, and head out to the supermarket. You figured that there might some truth to the vampire legends, and you return home with your usual groceries plus one shopping bag full of garlic. Technically, about a pound of garlic, two containers of garlic powder, and a bottle of garlic extract in softgel capsules.

You try not to cry as you calculate that you spent most of your romance novel budget on all this garlic, but desperate times call for desperate measures. The prescription from Dr. Kalonia is buried deep inside your purse; out of spite, you decided not to purchase the iron supplements.

From what you remembered from Dracula, you'll also need holy water and wooden stakes. You wondered where you can get the wood as you place the bags in your tiny kitchen and return to the door to lock it securely.

You had considered asking for a day off tomorrow, but then that would leave Connie and Jessika to man the shop on their own (Sundays being Snap's day off). Hence, the garlic powder. After putting away the groceries and a dinner of spaghetti bolognese and garlic bread (it was more garlic than butter on the top), you take a small, near-empty container of talcum powder and fill it with the garlic powder. Tomorrow, you're going to do some research on the internet; maybe they sell garlic-based mace on Amazon.

You pop a couple of garlic pills before you take a shower. You feel a bit better now that you're prepared.

\---

Your Sunday shift went by without any sneaky fake-Uber drivers checking in on you. The most interesting thing that happened was when a Valkyrie stepped into the bookstore.

It was just the three of you manning Ileenium a little after lunch. Finn stepped out for a meeting, Poe was doing inventory at the back with Jessika, and Connie was assisting two women and their son at the textbooks section. You were sitting behind the register, reading the blurb at the back of _The Chronicles of Van Helsing_ book, when the little bell tinkled as the door opened.

You put down the book and straighten up. "Good afternoon! Welcome to Illeenium Bookstore!" you trilled.

You almost forgot to close your mouth. The woman who just entered the premises was quite striking, like she stepped out of a fashion shoot. Her cap of white-blonde hair nearly brushed the doorframe. The cap-sleeve dress she wore with a splintered glass print on the white showed off miles and miles of leg ending in black stiletto heels. She looked around the small bookstore with ice-blue eyes before they settled on you.

Her expression seem to change as she looked you over. Like you were a person of interest.

"Good afternoon," the tall woman said with a British accent, walking over to your register. "I'm looking for a Mr. Phineas Trooper; would he be here, by any chance?"

You blink; you have no idea who she's talking about.

"I'm sorry ma'am," you reply politely. "We don't know of any Phineas Trooper." A thought hit you. "Are you planning to meet him here?"

She looked at you with those piercing blue eyes, and you stare back at her, fighting the urge to blink. The woman eventually shrugged and pulled out a shiny silver card from her black-and-white clutch.

"Ah, well," she said, handing you the card. "I probably mixed my dates up. Do me a favor and hand him this card in case he comes here, alright?" She sashayed out the door before you could say something.

You turn the card over in your hands. Printed in dark red font was a phone number and a "C. Phasma".

"Who was that, [Y/N]?" Poe asked as he walked up to you.

You turn to face your employer and held up the card. "Some tall lady came in looking for a Phineas Trooper," you share, handing him the card. "I guess they're supposed to meet here in the bookstore, but he either didn't make it or she mixed up the dates."

You stop talking as you look at Poe's reaction to the calling card. He was staring at the card, his usually expressive face blank.

"Poe, are you okay?" you ask him. He gives a start when you call his name.

"[Y/N], can you tell me what this woman looks like?" he asks you in a strangely calm voice.

"Uh, she was blonde, tall enough that her head almost touched the frame of the door, and she's got a British accent," you supplied. You peer at your boss' face as the bell tinkled again. "Are you okay?"

"What's wrong?" Finn asked as he strode through the door, walking around the register to reach his husband. "What is it, Poe?"

Poe looked between you and Finn, and without a word, he grabbed his husband's hand and dragged him back to their office, leaving you standing bewildered by the cash register.

\---

It's the end of your shift. You clean and lock up the bookstore with both Jessika and Connie tonight; Finn and Poe left the store three hours ago, citing an emergency. When asked, you could only shrug and give a summary of what happened earlier.

"You guys wouldn't happen to know a Phineas Trooper, would you?" you ask your co-workers. The other two women shrug. You now wonder about the men's odd reaction to the calling card as you sweep up the floor.

When you approach the window display, you take a quick peek out. You don't see the ginger menace out there. Good; perhaps he's decided that you're not worth it. And in case he decides otherwise, you've got some garlic powder that could convince him otherwise.

Finally, the three of you lock up the bookstore and go your separate ways. You walk under the lights along the way, keeping your eyes peeled and one hand in the pocket of your uniform.

You're almost home, and you start to breathe easier. Just need to pass that old building and cross the street...

And then a tall, slim figure steps out from the side of the old building. You stop walking as you take in the red hair and pale face of the man called General.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The dress I mentioned here can be [found here](http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/03/27/game-of-thrones-gwendoline-christie_n_2964698.html) (she's so gorgeous, I just can't...!)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally find out what his name is. And he's got friends...sort of.

The next thing you know, the General grabs you and takes you to the alleyway between the two old buildings. The most you could do was to raise the hand with the container of garlic powder, but you didn't have the time to twist the top. Gloved hands reach out to wrench the plastic bottle from your grip. You try to make a run for it, but he hooks an arm around your waist and pulls you up to press you against his chest. You would have pushed away from him if your arms were trapped to your sides. You couldn't move.

"Gerroff me!" you growled against his chest. You take a deep breath and prepare to scream, but his arm tightened around your waist. "Ulk!"

"None of that, now," he drawled against your hair. You hear him sniff, then his body gave a jerk as he sneezed. "Garlic powder! How rude!"

To your horror, he drops the small container and kicks it away from him. You feel his arm move away from your waist; he grasps your upper arms and move you away from him so that he could take a good look at you. You chance a look at his face: he's frowning at you.

"Aside from buying all that disgusting garlic, have you bought the supplements Dr. Kalonia prescribed for you, [Y/N]?" he asks you in a stern voice.

"I--well--NO!" you sputter. You didn't ask how he knew your name. "And why should I? So that you can bite me and drain my blood?!"

He had the audacity to roll his eyes. With one hand, he reaches into a pocket in his trenchcoat and pulls out a white box. "Here, take this," he says, pushing it towards you.

You take the white box with your free hand and try to make out the label. "What is this?"

"Iron supplements," he murmured. "Just follow Kalonia's instructions like a good girl..."

"WHAT?!" you shriek. You hand the box back to him. "I am NOT taking these just because you said so, pal!"

He looks outraged and pushes the box back towards you. "It's a gift! Call it an apology, if you will, for scaring you the other night."

You attempt to push it back towards him, but you find that you couldn't. Stupid undead-guy strength!

"No thank you," you grit out.

"I insist! This is for your own good!"

"No!"

"Take it!"

"What do we have here?" asked an amused, deep voice.

You jump at the new voice, looking around wildly for the source. You spot a hulking figure standing under a light in the recesses of the alley. He was HUGE, taller and broader than the General. His handsome face was framed with shoulder-length black hair and he wore an all-black suit, his red tie the one pop of color in his otherwise monochromatic outfit.

"Am I interrupting, Hux?" the black-haired man asked, stepping forward in a lesuirely way. He looks at you and grins. "Oh, hello there, sweet thing," he purrs. "Is this naughty ginger bothering you?"

Hell, his deep voice and pouty lips are naughty too, you thought.

"Stay out of this, Ren," the General-known-as-Hux growls, shoving the box towards you and facing the newcomer. "This is just...business."

The man called Ren tilts his head. "You're conducting business in an alleyway? Is that how it's done these days?" Ren chuckles. He shoves Hux to the side and bows in front of you. "The name is Kylo Ren, Miss. And I have seen you before at my bar. I do hope you enjoyed the shots I sent your way."

Your eyes widen again. "It was you?!" you exclaim. "You sent the Rogue One shots!"

Kylo Ren nodded. "Anything for someone as adorable as yourself," he drawls. "I couldn't help but notice you look down last Friday night, so I thought a freebie should cheer you up."

"Back off, you!" Hux growls, shoving Ren away from you. "Stop messing with her, you horny fucker!"

"It's called flirting, you boring piece of shit..." Ren shot back, and you figure that this is about to escalate into a loud argument. You take this chance to make a break for it, sprinting out of the alleyway and straight for home. After getting inside your apartment, you chuck the box of iron supplements on the table, lock all the doors and windows and go to bed with garlic under your pillows, trying not to think too hard that you're finally getting all this attention and it had to be from vampires.

\---

The persistent knocking on your door wakes you up the next morning. You tumble out of bed, pulling hair out of your mouth as you stumble towards the door.

"Whozzit?" you slur as you take a peek through the peephole. There was no one there. Puzzled, you open the door as far open as the chain would allow and take a peek. There was no one around and you nearly missed seeing the large box on the floor.

Curious, you unhook the chain and open the door wider to bring in the package. You grab a paper cutter and slice through the tape to open the box on the floor.

When you open the box, you sit back in disbelief. It was filled with...meat. The box was lined with dry ice and filled with packages of different cuts of meat, chicken and assorted seafood. You pick up the envelope taped to the inside of the box and pull out the thick beige stationery, knowing that it will be filled with elegant red script. There's only one line on the paper:

"I'll be checking up on you to make sure you're following doctor's orders."

You gulp and look down at the food in the box.

This is fucking insane. You run to your bedroom, grab a pillow, and scream into it. You wish you had someone to confide in about this. You doubt anyone in your circle would believe you, and if they did, how could they help you?

A vampire is trying to make you taste _delicious_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, we get to the heart of it: the inspiration for this fic comes from [this hilarious Tumblr thread](https://pedestrianfootbridge.tumblr.com/post/145773223418/harblkun-krazykitsune-leupagus). I actually used this for a tame fic in another account for another fandom. Honestly, I'm getting good vampire ideas from Tumblr, so expect some vampiric weirdness in future chapters!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He really is coming to check up on you. And you find out he's got other gifts.

After calming down (and another session of screaming into your pillow), you decide to store the foodstuff into your freezer. No point in wasting food, and you really don't want to know what that ginger vampire will do to you if you threw them out. You ignore the box of iron supplements on the table and get ready for work.

\---

Monday shift shows Poe and Finn in good spirits, like one of them hadn't reacted badly to a silver calling card yesterday. You wondered if you should go ask them about that, but decide not to. You'll figure out better timing in the near future.

Near the end of the business day, the two men called everyone in for a meeting. Finn was bouncing on his feet, and Poe was rubbing his hands like he was trying to contain his feelings in his hands.

"We've got exciting news!" said Poe. "Ileenium Bookstore has been chosen as the next stop in Rey Kenobi's book signing tour this weekend!"

"No way!" Snap exclaims as you and Jessika start squealing and shrieking next to him. "The author of _The_ _Chronicles of Van Helsing_?!"

"Isn't this short notice?" you say out loud. This was probably the second or third booksigning event you'll ever witness. The last booksigning event had been Maz Kanata's, the owner of Takodana Cafe: she released a coffeetable book containing pictures and snippets of celebrities (famous and notorious alike) who have graced her establishment for over fifty years. Finn and Poe had helped her find a publisher and allowed her to have her book launched here. In thanks, Maz declared that everyone who works at Ileenium get unlimited free refills and the first dibs to new pastries served at Takodana.

"Oh my God, somebody take my picture with her!" Jessika shrieks, grabbing Snap by the lapels and shaking the big man like a rattle. "It has to be perfect for all my social media accounts!"

Finn holds up his hands, smiling. "Yeah, it is short notice, but not impossible. We're going to need to rearrange the shelves near the window display to accomodate the signing area. We need everyone on board Friday night to get ready this Saturday."

Poe turns to you. "[Y/N], I know you got Saturdays off, but we'll need all the help we can get. Can you drop in this Saturday? We'll schedule a day off for you on this week..."

"FRIDAY!" you declare in a near shout. You look around at the stares from your bosses and co-workers and say sheepishly, "I'll take this Friday off."

You leave Jessika and Snap to man the register and head for the Thriller Fiction aisle. You pick up a copy of _The Chronicles of Van Helsing_ and turn the book around to look at the picture of the author. Rey Kenobi looks rather YOUNG to pen such a heavy topic. Her personal story was like a 90's rags-to-riches movie plot: British foster home kid grows up to become an English teacher, spends five years teaching in Transylvania and becomes inspired to write a spectacular backstory for one of the characters in Bram Stoker's Dracula.

You clutch the book to your chest, as the spark of hope that lit your mind earlier becomes a whole lot bigger. Maybe she could help you!

\---

Before the end of your shift, you manage to bum a ride from Snap. Unlike the other girls, his route home is almost the same as yours, though he lives a bit farther.

"Y'know, you could always carpool with me [Y/N]," he says to you as you follow him to his old Ford truck. Snap usually gets off earlier so that he could help his brother haul car parts to his garage.

"That sounds like a great idea!" you say brightly, looking around nervously for a flash of red hair. "I could pay for my share of gas," you offer.

"Sounds like a deal!" he says, grinning. You smile back as you hop into the passenger seat. _This should work_ , you thought.

\---

You're starting to feel adventurous in the kitchen. After a lengthy internal debate of accepting food from your stalker, you give in, do a quick research in Buzzfeed, and start making a batch of sticky garlic chicken wings. Doctor-recommended protein AND garlicky. Win-win!

You plan on buying some potatoes tomorrow to cook up some roast potatoes with garlic. Looks delicious.

You decide to relax that night by re-reading your favorite romance novel, _A Summer with a Smuggler_ , on your bed. You've probably memorized the story: a governess hired to take care of the ward of a Duke she rarely sees, gets caught up in a convoluted plot where she discovers that the smuggler she befriended at the market turned out to be the Duke in disguise, and then the two fall in love.

Cheesy as hell, but you love it. You're now reading the fun part where the governess has to keep quiet as her snooping was interrupted by the arrival of the Duke, who started stripping inside his room...

_Tap, tap, tap_

Startled, you look up from your book...and nearly jump off the bed.

At the wall opposite your bed is a window, facing the wall of the building next to your apartment. Standing-- _standing?!_ \--outside this window was Hux the vampire.

_Are you fucking kidding me?_

He was wearing his trench coat and a stern expression on his face. He pointed to the window latch and mouthed, "Let me in."

You shake your head no as you reach under your pillow for a head of garlic. Why did you leave the powder in the fucking kitchen?!

Hux looks miffed when you didn't follow his instruction. He looks up and runs a pale hand through his hair in exasperation. After a few moments, you think he's stuck in that pose and start edging off your bed, planning to make a beeline for the door.

**PLEASE OPEN THE WINDOW.**

You let out a shriek as you suddenly hear his voice in your mind, like there's a tiny Hux inside holding a megaphone. This time, you fall off your bed, the garlic rolling out of your hand. You look up and find him looking at you with an intense expression. He was talking to you using his mind!

**I WON'T HURT YOU, [Y/N]. PLEASE OPEN THE WINDOW. I JUST WANT TO TALK.**

You give him a look before grabbing the garlic and slowly stepping forward. When you reach the window, you turn the latch and halfheartedly pull up the sliding pane with one hand.

"What do you want?" you ask, trying not to sound petty as you pull up a stool to sit on. You try not to flinch when he moves down in order to talk to you face-to-face.

"Didn't you read my note?" he asks, his voice gentler than usual. "I promised to check up on you. Have you been taking the supplements like a good girl?"

You shrug, hoping he couldn't sense your heart trying to beat out of your chest. "I may have forgotten to take some today," you lie a little bit too airily. (This is really weirding you out: a vampire is inquiring after your after-care.)

He frowns at that. "You really should follow the doctor's orders," he says sternly. "Did you like the present we left by your door? I figured your place of employment might not provide you enough salary for a trip to the butcher..."

"I got 'em, the meat is in the fridge, THANK YOU," you blurt out in one breath. "Why are you going through all this trouble for me?"

Hux did not reply. He just gives you a look, the kind that makes you break out in goose pimples, a look you've only read about in your romance novels. You look back and realize that his eyes are a lovely, indeterminate mix of blue and green.

Wow.

"May I come in?" he suddenly asks you.

That helps break the spell. You shake your head and stand up. Something about his question was raising alarm bells at the back of your mind, but for what reason, you're not sure.

"No offense, but I have to be up early tomorrow so...yeah," you reach out hesitantly to close the window, fearing that he would grab you. "Goodnight Hux."

You manage to close the window, jumping when it slams down, and draw the blinds down on Hux's outraged face.

You decide to sleep on the couch tonight.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't read much romance novels in a couple of years, but I hope I got the tropes right.
> 
> P.S. - if you have any suggestions for cheesy romance novel titles, that would be great. Cheesiest and best ones will be used in succeeding chapters! ;)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More conversations with a vampire through a window and questionable reading choices.

You almost couldn't sleep that night, feeling a tad guilty for slamming the window down on General Hux like that and extremely nervous that he would retaliate in some way.

Surprisingly, that didn't seem to deter him. You wake up on Tuesday, groggy and grumpy, to find a smaller package on your doorstep. You got into another internal debate about opening the unmarked package, but decide to check it, at least to rule out any perishables. You grab a boxcutter and slice through the tape, revealing the glossy cover of a hardbound book.

"Oh you have _got_ to be kidding me," you nearly shriek as you read the cover of the book:

_1001 Recipes to Maintain a Delicious Body by Benedict Organa, MD_

There was no note inside the box.

You no longer feel guilty for slamming the window down on him anymore.

\---

The next couple of days will find you and the staff of Ileenium Bookstore in clean-up and shelf-rearranging mode. Poe informed you all to expect a delivery of rented furniture for the booksigning setup and some posters for the event. Snap was helping Jessika with the window display, turning it into a paper mache facsimile of the artwork on the book cover of _The Chronicles of Van Helsing_. Poe was out dealing with suppliers, a job that usually went to Finn, but Poe explained that Finn was at home nursing an upset stomach and a grudge against the seafood restaurant they visited last night. This left you and Connie to take charge of the bookstore and several sets of parents doing some last-minute shopping for their kids before school starts. Connie decided to switch with you after you nearly snapped at a particularly obnoxious customer.

"I just want to know if these notebooks were ethically sourced!" the woman cries shrilly.

"No, a tree had to die," you mutter under your breath as you stalk away to the register. Fortunately, only Snap and Jessika heard you and they sniggered while setting up the cemetery.

\---

All in all, Tuesday shift was shit. You arrived home with a pint of chocolate fudge ice cream and a Whopper Meal from Burger King and started stuffing yourself in your room while reading _The Enchantment of Names_. It's another well-read romance novel (one of the few "modern-day" versions you have), and you mostly read it for the satisfaction of reliving the moment when Keira finds out that her "wonderful" pen pal Allen Sevier was really Matt "You don't get this because you're not a Radar technician" Massey and she lets him have it. There's a kind of satisfaction to be gleaned from fictional confrontations.

_Tap, tap, tap._

"You again!" you groan, scowling up at the brilliant red-haired head peeking through the window before you shovel another spoonful of ice cream into your mouth. You put down the pint of ice cream and pick up the large tome next to you before taking a few steps towards the window. After yanking it open, you thrust the cookbook into his face. "I ought to call the cops on you," you growl. "This is harassment! Harassment with the intent to consume my blood!"

Hux frowns as he looks at the title cover of the cookbook. "I didn't send you this cookbook," he says calmly. "And I doubt current law enforcement would believe you."

You glare at him.

"If you didn't send me this book, then who did?" you ask him.

He holds up a hand for the book; you gingerly pass it to him before yanking your hands back. He tucks the book under his arm and gives you a cursory look. "I'll find out, [Y/N]. You should go rest now. Doctor's orders."

And this time, he floats up past your window. You cautiously poke your head out to see where he went, but he was gone.

"This seems oddly normal," you muse.

\---

Wednesday night finds you relaxing in a warm bath reading _Steed of Sonata_ with a glass of cheap wine. This book was one of your more dog-eared novels. Set in World War I, Capt. John Farrell-Phillips had to leave behind his new bride Daphne at the onset of the War and then wrongly declared dead, with Daphne now having to deal with a baby and an annoying suitor with eyes on the family fortune.

You carefully set the near-empty glass on the bathroom floor before wiping the tears away with the heel of your hand. The reunion scene between John and Daphne never fails to get you.

_Tap, tap, tap._

"Go away, please! I'm having 'me' time," you call out.

**WHERE ARE YOU?**

You wince and rub your temple while holding the book. That again...

"I'm in the bathroom enjoying some alone time," you respond. "Not THAT kind of alone time!" you thought to add quickly. Then you wonder why you're answering his telepathic queries out loud and now you imagine what the neighbors might think.

"You just read in the tub? That seems boring..."

You let out a screech and swallowed some soapy water as you thrash in the tub, with your favorite novel went flying across the bathroom. You look up and groan; Hux was peeking in from the small side window of your bathroom.

You start sinking under the bubbles. "You fucking perv! I---"

"If it helps, I can't see your tub from this angle," Hux cuts in. "Your bathroom is so small."

"Gee, thanks," you mutter. You look across the bathroom, hoping against hope that the novel wasn't ruined.

"What were you reading?" he asks.

You look up at the window. "Before I answer that, I just want to say that this has to be the weirdest conversation I ever participated in."

From the window, you hear a sort of amused huff. "You could invite me in to have a proper chat," he said reasonably.

"But this is fine!" you blurt out. You figured out why he keeps asking you this question after skimming Kenobi's book. Vampires need to be invited into a personal dwelling. It doesn't explain what happens if they enter without an invite, but you couldn't help imagine Hux bouncing off against an invisible force field around the door to your apartment complex.

"Anyway, um, I'm reading this romance novel set during World War I," you continue, as though it was a natural thing to talk to a vampire through a bathroom window.

"Hmmm...I witnessed that war," Hux said softly. "Not a period I would romanticize, except..."

You sit up straighter in the tub.

"You were alive during _that_ war?" you whisper in awe.

"Technically, I was 'alive' long before that," he clarified. "That Princip fellow triggered such a mess. So many lives lost...I would have served, but I can't stay out under the sun, so I did my bit providing armaments for our soldiers."

"Wait, a sec," you say, curiosity once again overriding caution. "If you didn't serve in the first world war, how or when did you become a General?"

"I served my country during the Crimean war, my dear," he answered quietly. When you didn't immediately respond, he added, "In 1854."

You lean back in your tub. "Whoa," you breathed out. After a moment, you follow it up with: "You look pretty good for a centenarian."

He chuckles. "Thanks. I'm actually four years shy of two hundred."

"Wow," you say. You were about to say something else when the trill of the Nokia theme song started to play.

"Pardon me, I need to take this call," Hux called out. Whatever the conversation was, it was brief, as he suddenly announces, "I hate to cut this short, but I am needed elsewhere. I'd like to continue this conversation in a more relaxed atmosphere. Goodnight!"

And you knew he flew off again, but you sat still in the tub for a few more minutes before you decide to stand up. While you toweled off, you realized that you forgot to ask him if he knew who sent you the cookbook.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ladies and gents, give it up for **Hbanana1920** for the cheesy romance novel title suggestions!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final player arrives.

On Thursday, you arrive at the bookstore and find your co-workers bouncing around like the balls of their feet were replaced with rubber.

"What's going on?" you ask Connie when you see her and Snap whispering excitedly behind the counter.

"You are NOT going to believe this!" Connie squeaks--unflappable, no-nonsense Miss Connix herself!--as she grabs your forearm and leads you to the back where Poe and Finn's office is located. Connie pulls you down so that you're not immediately visible to the occupants in the room against the glass partition of the door.

Connie looks at you and mouths, "Look inside."

You did as she instructed and carefully raise your head to look in. Poe and Finn were sitting on the other side of the desk, laughing and chatting it up with a slender woman with dark brown hair tied into three buns. Her profile was facing you, and when you took it in, you clap your hands to your mouth and drop to the floor.

You look at your co-worker in shock before you follow Connie on your hands and knees back to the front of the shop. Snap walks up to you and holds out a hand to help you up.

"Did you see her?!" he whispers excitedly.

"I can't believe she's here!" Connie squeaks again.

"Rey Kenobi is here," you say under your breath. "Rey Kenobi is HERE. Holy shit, I thought she wasn't supposed to arrive until Saturday morning?!"

"Actually, I finished up what I needed to do and decided to drop by early and catch up with Finn and Poe," replied a lilting, feminine British voice. You turn around and feel your cheeks warm up at the sight of a smiling Rey Kenobi.

She REALLY looks so young. Her face was covered in understated makeup and she wore blue jeans, a white shirt under a tan sleeveless coat, and a pair of white sneakers. She was playing it low-key until the book-signing event this Saturday. Behind her, Poe and Finn emerged from the office. Poe placed an arm around the young woman's shoulders and grinned at everyone.

"You know each other?" you ask, surprised.

Finn nods as Poe replies, "Yep! Rey's foster dad knew my parents, and Finn was her dad's student. You could say Rey was the reason Finn and I are together."

Poe turns to smile at his husband, and the smile was reciprocated in kind.

\---

Thursday shift was quite enjoyable. Rey proved to be a helpful addition to the crew as she helped Connie and Snap with the setup for the book-signing event. But someone was missing.

You check the time at 2 in the afternoon and turn to Connie. "Have you heard from Jessika? It's not like her to not call in if she won't make it."

Connie frowns and checks her mobile phone. "I'll try to reach out to her," she assures you as she walks to the back to make the call. After several minutes and a couple of customer purchases later, Connie walks back to you, grim-faced.

"Remind me to kick Teedo's balls the next time I see him," she growls.

"Why, what did he do?" you ask as Snap and Rey approach the register.

"Remember when Jessika told us that Teedo was staying at his apartment 'coz he's got the flu or something? Well, Jessika went to his place after work yesterday and caught that lowlife banging some bimbo over the counter!"

You became outraged in an instant. "That sonuvabitch!" you snarl.

Connie nods grimly as Snap hisses behind you. "If I heard her right, Jessika lobbed the oranges she bought for Teedo at their heads, screamed at them, and left. She's holed up in her apartment, crying her eyes out."

"Oh, Jessika..." you murmur as Snap cracks his knuckles.

"I'm going to give Teedo a piece of my mind the first chance I get," Snap growls. Beside him, Rey looks sympathetic.

"What can we do?" you ask Connie.

"Well, I have an idea, but it all boils down to getting Jessika to the Bar..."

\---

Hours later, you find yourself outside the F.O. Bar a night earlier than usual. And not only that, you were accompanied by Rey Kenobi herself!

"I'm glad you decided to come with us, Rey," you tell her as you see Connie and Jessika approach. "This will mean SO MUCH for Jessika."

It had been Connie who asked Rey outright if she would like to join them at the F.O. Bar. You knew that Connie did this for Jessika, who's a big fan of _The Chronicles of Van Helsing_. Heck, you didn't think you'd be on a first-name basis with a famous author, who turns out to be as down-to-earth as they come (and a close friend of your employers to boot). Poe and Finn declined joining you; Rey shared that her friends want her to hang loose with girls to get a feel of a girl's night out.

"It's the least I could do," said Rey, adjusting the large tan bag over her shoulder. She smiles as the other two women got closer. Jessika looked up; the only evidence of her bad day were her somewhat swollen dark eyes. After the initial shock wore off, it took a lot for the excitable Jessika to stop herself from glomping Rey, and Rey took the initiative by greeting Jessika like an old friend before leading the way to the Bar. Soon, all four of you were taking pictures and waving a waitress over to your table to place your orders.

"In 'honor' of the occasion," Connie drawls, "we're going to get the Mind Eraser shots."

"And before that, I'd like to treat everyone on this table with their choice of drink," adds Rey. She points to the menu and tells the waiter, "I'll have the Salted Caramel White Russian."

"Oooh, dessert drinks! I'll have the Spiked Snickers Milkshake then!" you call out.

"Today calls for Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Spiked Milkshake," Jessika says softly, and she had to repeat the order loudly for the waiter.

"Then I'll have Sex in the Driveway," announced Connie. "And the drink!"

You all laughed at Connie's joke as the waiter left you while rolling his eyes.

Rey turns to Jessika and gently inquires, "I'm so sorry to hear about your breakup."

Jessika's lower lip wobbled and your waiting time for the drinks were spent in thinking up punishments and ideal karmic situations for the unfaithful Teedo. You had to tell Connie several times that some of her suggestions would be considered jailable offenses.

Connie just shrugs as the waiter reappears with their drinks. "He broke my buddy's heart here. Justice needs to be served!"

You turn to the drinks that were set on the table. Aside from your ordered drinks and the four shots of Mind Erasers, there were four additional shot glasses filled with what looked like thick chocolate or coffee.

You were hit with a sense of deja vu...

"Hey, we didn't order these," you inform the waiter, pointing at the shots in question.

"No worries, ma'am," the bald waiter assured you. "The Extra Creamy Orgasm shots were already paid for."

"By whom?" Rey asks curiously.

"They want me to just tell you that they're a long-time admirer," the waiter explains before sauntering off.

You didn't touch your Spiked Snickers Milkshake. You have two guesses as to the identity of this "secret admirer". You look at Rey as she takes a sip of her Salted Caramel White Russian. She looks at you and raises a dark eyebrow at your expression.

You have to tell her NOW.

You get you chance several minutes later, when Jessika and Connie start ranting about their exes after polishing off their drinks and half the shots.

"Can I talk to you in private, Rey?" you manage to say into her ear; Connie was getting really loud about her ex who left her with an astronomical phone bill.

Rey looks at you and nods. You lead the way, weaving through the thin crowd to the ladies' room. You open the door and make sure that there was no one inside before gesturing to Rey to get in. You lock the door behind you and turn to the author.

"I have to tell you something," you rush out. "I-I don't know who to turn to, and if I tell anyone else, they're gonna think I've lost my damned mind."

Rey raises her hands, frowning in concern at you. "Breathe, [Y/N]," she says softly. "Just tell me what you want to say, though I can't say I'll be able to help..."

"I'm being stalked by vampires!"

Rey became still. Dark eyes looked over at your tense, pale face, a little ruddy from the alcoholic beverage that you half-finished.

And then she frowns.

"Are you pulling my leg?" she asked slowly. "Just because I wrote a book about--"

And then you tell your story in a rush. About the redheaded General who looks at you through the window of the bookstore before you lock up for the night before making his move a few nights later, biting your neck and withdrawing quickly because your blood did not taste right to him. About the recommendation to see a doctor and the gifts to help you with your anemia. About the black-haired man who knew the General and was named Kylo Ren...

"Kylo. _Ren._ " Rey gasped, the scowl being replaced by a look of shock.

"Yeah. And he probably sent those extra shots like he did last time and..." you pause as you consider Rey's reaction to the name. "You...you _know_ Kylo Ren?"

But before Rey could answer, they hear a click as the door to the ladies' room was unlocked. Two muscled and intimidating, identical-looking men in black were standing outside.

"Good evening ladies," one of them said. "The boss wants to see you in his office."

"No funny business now," the other one added, lifting his coat to show the handle of a gun tucked into his holster.

You look at Rey; her face is now devoid of expression as she steps out of the room, holding the handle of her bag in a white-knuckled grip.

The two of you follow the first bouncer across the floor and towards a door next to the bar. The second bouncer trails behind you as the first guy leads the way up a set of stairs to a landing lined with dark red carpet and a hallway of black doors. Bouncer One leads them to the first door and knocked.

"Come in," calls out a deep, familiar voice. In front of you, you notice Rey stiffen.

Bouncer One opens the door, and Bouncer Two gently nudges the two of you into the almost-windowless office. The middle of the red-carpeted floor was covered by a large white rug with a black hexagon. The middle of the black hexagon contained a white circle with inverted white spikes.

Rey stepped into the room, staring at the rug on the floor, before looking up to see the profile of the man leaning against the window looking out onto the bar floor below. His shoulder-length black hair and broad shoulders were familiar to you even before he turns around to look at you and Rey. He waves the bouncers away.

"Good evening, [Y/N]," Kylo Ren says warmly. To Rey, his voice deepens an octave and his smile becomes more flirtatious. "Good evening, Rey."

You look between Kylo Ren and Rey (who is starting to look like Hell warmed over), confused. "Wait, you two know each other?" you ask.

"Sure do, sweetheart," Kylo replies without looking away from Rey. "You didn't think she pulled _The Chronicles of Van Helsing_ from her imagination, did you? Oh no...my Rey here _lived it_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I FINALLY got around to updating this!
> 
> Again, the drinks referenced here can be found at the Tipsy Bartender's Youtube channel. And imagine Bouncers One and Two as played by Dave Bautista. :D


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo drops some more hints about Rey. You try not to throw up.

Next to you, Rey stiffened and took her hand out of her large bag. You stare at Kylo as though he sprouted another head. At this point, you wouldn't be surprised if he did sprout a head or two. He turns to look at you, grinning in glee.

"But where are my manners?" he asks loudly. He gestures to the two overstuffed leather chairs in front of his large, shiny black desk. "Please, do sit down! Would you ladies like anything to drink?"

You start to walk forward to one of the proferred chairs, but Rey grabs your upper arm, stopping you.

"What do you want, Ren?" she asks coldly.

Kylo didn't respond immediately. He takes out an iPhone and types something on it before pocketing it and taking his seat behind the desk. "What do I want?" he asks. "Can't a guy just reminisce about the good old days with friends?" He punctuates this with a waggle of dark eyebrows at Rey.

Rey rolls her eyes in response. On your part, you look between Rey and Ren, wildly confused. Kylo's revelation was still ringing in your head.

"What do you mean she 'lived it'?" you ask Kylo.

The large man sitting behind the desk gave you a smile, like he was humoring a small child.

"I mean that Miss Kenobi over there disguised her autobiography and turned it into fiction," he replies. He turns to Rey and gives her a hurt look. "While you're here, I want to say how unflattering you wrote me in your book."

Rey raises an eyebrow at him. "What? I thought 'Emo Prince of Darkness' suited you just fine," she said sweetly.

While Kylo gives Rey a sour look, the fog of confusion starts to lift from your mind. You turn to look agog at Rey. "You're a professional vampire slayer?!"

Rey snorts in response. "Me? No!" And then after a pause: "Well, I also handle the issue with werewolves, witches, and other assorted monsters and supernatural elements."

You look at Rey, horrified that the OTHER monsters of myth were real as well, just as the door opens. One of the giant bouncers comes in with a tray containing three drinks. He set the tray on the table, picks up the large tumbler with the dark red liquid inside and handed it to Kylo before picking up the tray again and facing you and Rey.

"I'll pass," you whisper, even though you could use a swig of the Spiked Snickers Milkshake. Rey just raises her hand to reject it.

"Just leave the tray here, Huey," Kylo instructed him. "Oh, and get a glass of the O-negative. We're having another guest in a minute."

"Sure thing, boss," said Huey before heading out the door.

Kylo raises his glass to the two of you before taking a sip. "Mmmm, I'm more of a AB-positive man myself," he says, staring at Rey while he licks the red stuff off his upper lip.

It took a moment for you to realize what was in his glass. You feel the contents of your stomach swirling horribly and start swallowing your saliva to prevent you from spewing on the carpet.

"Cool it, Ren," Rey warns him while giving you a quick look of concern. She let out an irritable huff and walks up to the desk. "Seriously, why did you call us up here?"

Kylo polishes off his glass of blood (again, you try to swallow down the queasiness) with an appreciative smack, and gestures to the two chairs on the other side of his desk. Rey ignores this and signals to you to stay where you are.

"Look, I'm not here to bust up whatever you've setup here in Naboo," she tells him in a low voice. "Unless you're doing something I don't approve, you're off my radar..."

Personally, you didn't think Kylo was taking in what Rey was saying. Not with him staring dreamily up at her.

"Is that what I need to do to get your attention again?" he asks hopefully. This earns him an eyeroll from Rey as the door opens behind you.

"Heeeey, look who's here!" Kylo calls out, waving a hand at the newcomer. You turn around to see who arrived and just about managed to not groan out loud.

Of course, Kylo would call Hux to this meeting. Hell, all they needed was a werewolf or a chupacabra to complete this meeting.

You couldn't keep your eyes off the General as he steps in and closes the door behind him. Mostly to keep him in your sights and pre-empt whatever it is he wants to do. On his end, Hux just gives you a passing glance before turning his sights to his fellow vampire and the slender brunette backing off from the desk.

"Hux," Rey gritted out.

"Kenobi," the ginger-haired man responded quietly. He turns to look at Kylo and gives him a sardonic look. "What's all this about, Ren?"

"Seriously, you all think so badly of me!" Kylo grumps. "We haven't seen Rey for three years. What's a little reunion between friends, new and old?" He turns and winks at you.

"I doubt Kenobi thinks kindly of that time, you insensitive twat," said Hux. He steps aside to let Huey in after he knocked on the door. The bouncer hands a tumbler of blood to Hux before closing the door behind him.

"What? We weren't the ones who--"

"Shut it!" Rey interrupts, lookig mightily upset. "Look, we've seen each other, we're good! [Y/N] and I are going now, and she needs to rest for work tomorrow."

"I--yeah!" you say, nodding your head, as you allow Rey to shepherd you to the door. Unfortunately, Hux was blocking their exit.

"Step aside, Hux," Rey said calmly.

"You can go," Hux tells her. He turns to look at you with his blue-green eyes. "I'll take care of [Y/N] and bring her home safely."

"Uh, no thanks!" you yelp, clutching at Rey's arm. "I don't know you THAT well."

Hux smiles and starts tutting. "That's why you should stay, so that we can get to know each other better."

"No way, Ginger," Rey butts in, pulling you away from Hux. "I'm not leaving [Y/N] here with you and Prince Emo."

"Hey!" Kylo calls out indignantly.

_**BOOFFSSSSS!** _

Outside, the bar erupts into screams and shouts. You turn your head to the window leading out to the bar below and see gray smoke against the backdrop.

"What the...?"

You weren't able to complete that thought; Rey took this opportunity to shock the hell out of you.

She let you go and threw something on the ground. On impact, a yellow, pungent smoke erupts from the floor, making you cough. It smells familiar to you, but it was enough to make Hux and Kylo gasp and retch.

"GARLIC!" Hux wheezes as he drops to his knees. You feel someone grab your arm and pull you towards the door.

"Time to go!" Rey hisses, covering her nose with the crook of her elbow as she leads the way to your escape. However, Huey or his twin was standing at the bottom of the stairs outside Kylo's office. Before the giant could make a move, Rey JUMPS from the top of the stairs and floors him with a well-aimed kick to his middle. The bouncer collapses on his back as Rey rolls off him and rights herself.

It was a feat straight out of an action movie.

"Come on, [Y/N]! We have to get out of here now!" she yells at you. You scramble down the stairs, jump over the downed bouncer, and allow yourself to be grabbed by the arm and tugged out through the bar.

"What about Connie and Jessika?!" you ask as the two of you weave through the crowd.

"They'll be alright!" Rey assures you as she leads the two of you towards the doors. "Get in!"

You were dimly aware of a dark orange car before Rey opens the door and pushes you into the backseat. You tumble in and land on the floor of the vehicle before the door is slammed shut.

"Drive, Poe, drive!"

_POE?!_

You raise yourself off the floor of the car and spot the familiar dark curls of one of your employers.

"What the hell happened, Rey?!" Poe yells as he floors it. You and Rey lean back from the sudden acceleration as Poe drives off into the night.

"The Clan of Ren happened, that's what!" Rey shoots back as she helps you to sit properly on the seat. "They know I'm here, Poe, and one of them wants [Y/N]!"

"WHAT?!"

"Eyes on the road, man!" Rey shrieks as the car swerves.

"How can they be here? I thought you and San Tekka wiped them out back in Europe!" Poe yells as he makes a right turn.

"I don't know if they reformed here in Naboo, but I do know that Kylo Ren and Armitage Hux are here!"

"WHAT?!"

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?!" you scream. "I'm being stalked by some vampire General who wants to cure me before he can drink my blood, my bosses are friends with Buffy the Vampire Slayer here, and there are VAMPIRES!"

Silence reigned in the car. Poe was concentrating on getting them away from the F.O. Bar while Rey looked away from you, worrying her teeth over her lower lip.

After a few moments, she turns to you and say, "We'll tell you everything when we get to his place. It's a long story, [Y/N]."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming soon: histories!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My sincerest apologies to Bram Stoker.

The ride to the home of Finn and Poe was completed in silence. You look out the window to observe the full moon against the dark sky as you relive the events that transpired at the F.O. Bar. You check your phone and find that Connie and Jessika have flooded it with messages and missed calls. You decide to send them a vague message telling them that you and Rey are alright. Technically, not a lie.

You entered a quiet subdivision and stopped in front of a quaint ranch-style house. Poe pointed remote control at the garage door to open it and brought the car inside.

This was the first time you have ever been to your employers' home.

The three of you exited the car just as a huge, black, hairy creature burst out from the door connecting the garage to the house, nearly tackling Poe to the ground.

"Hey, calm down! I'm fine, I'm fine," Poe laughs breathlessly, trying to avoid its sloppy kisses. Rey grinned at this display while you just stood there and stared.

"I didn't know you and Finn had a dog," you say in surprise. The giant dog--which you initially thought was an all-black Husky--suddenly stopped licking Poe and looked at you. "He's gorgeous! What's his name?"

Poe and Rey share a grin. "His name is Finn," shared Poe.

The dog snorted and dropped down on his four legs, padding softly to you and nuzzling your hand. Poe laughs at your reaction.

"Did you seriously name your _dog_ after your _husband_?" you ask loudly.

"Oh, [Y/N], you don't know the half of it," said Rey as she followed Poe into the house, beckoning you to follow as well. You move to follow them down the dark hall and into the semi-lit dining room. Poe rifled in the fridge and produced three bottles of cola. The large hound moved to sit next to Poe as the three of you take your seats around the table.

"I didn't name the dog after Finn," Poe said quietly after taking a sip of his drink. "First of all, we don't have a dog. Secondly, this is a werewolf. Thirdly...this is Finn."

You choke badly on your soda at the last item. Rey moved over to thump you on the back as you let out a hacking cough. After a few moments...

"WHAT?!"

Wiping the back of your hand over your mouth, you moved closer to the hound--or wolf rather--and peered at him. The eyes that stared back at you had the same dark color as Finn Storm's eyes.

"Finn?" you whisper.

In response, the wolf let out an abrupt huff. You lean back on your chair and look between Poe and Rey, completely stunned. Poe rubs the back of his neck.

"Maybe this isn't the way we should start this conversation," Poe mutters. Finn snorts in agreement.

"Okay, let's have [Y/N] start with how she got caught in Kylo and Hux's sights," suggests Rey, giving you a look.

And so you do. You give your employers and Rey a summary of how Hux would stay outside the bookshop while you close it up for almost a week up until he visits you outside of your apartment (while omitting a few details like having a conversation with him while you're in the bath).

"I just don't get why he's fixated on me," you mutter after you complete your accounting. "How about you three? What's all this about the Clan of Ren or whatever?"

Rey and Poe share a look.

"Well, there's one thing Kylo got right," Rey grumbles. "Half of the content in Chronicles came from my life experiences and the other half was that of my guardian's, Lor San Tekka." She pauses here to sigh; you sense that she's trying to psych herself up for what she's about to share.

"Lor San Tekka knew my grandfather, Ben Kenobi. He somehow tracked me down the British foster care system and took me in. He and my grandfather were honest-to-goodness vampire hunters, and he wanted to train me as my grandfather would have wanted. Once I completed training six years ago, he took me to Transylvania to track down an acolyte of Dracula, a powerful vampire called Snoke..."

"DRACULA?!" you nearly shout. NOW they're pulling your leg. "Are you kidding me? He was made up by Bram Stoker..."

"It's real," Rey interrupts you. "All of it was real. Stoker was approached by a descedant of Abraham Van Helsing, Maximus San Tekka, to commission him to write an autobiography of his ancestor. Unfortunately, Maximus died after a freak accident involving barrels of beer, and he left behind half of his notes to Stoker. Stoker used those notes and wrote about Dracula instead."

"Hold on a sec," you say. "Are you saying that your guardian was a descendant of VAN HELSING? Van Helsing was REAL?"

Rey nodded. "I wrote _Chronicles_ and dedicated it to Lor, bless him, as a kind of apology after what happened with his ancestor."

"Uh, okay..." you murmur. "So, how does Kylo and Hux figure into this?"

"Those two were Snoke's lieutenants," Rey grumbles. "He amassed an army of vampires and werewolves known as the Clan of Ren, and was planning to unleash them on the world in a bid for domination. Their M.O. at the time was to 'recruit' new soldiers from seedy bars. Go in, seduce a man or woman, then lead them out and turn them. It didn't matter who did the turning, as long as their numbers increased. I encountered Kylo Ren five years ago during one of my scouting missions and nearly got captured and turned."

"How did you escape?" you ask. To your surprise, Rey blushed.

"Doesn't matter how, but I did," Rey answered gruffly. "It turned into a bizarre cat-and-mouse chase for two years before he and Hux invited me and Lor for a meeting."

"A meeting?" you repeat, confused. Poe looks at Rey, frowning as he strokes Finn's furry head with his fingers.

Rey nods. "Along with another faction of vampire-hunters, Lor and I were able to put a dent on their activities. We thought the purpose of the meeting was to try to convince us to stop, but instead, they asked _us_ for help."

"Help? Help for what?" you ask her.

Rey gives a huff of amusement. "They wanted us to take down Snoke, which _was_ our initial objective. For some reason they wouldn't tell me, they don't want to follow him on his quest for world domination. They wanted me and Lor to head to their hideout and execute Snoke."

She sounds brittle at the end of that sentence, and with the way she used her tenses, something did not end well.

"I take it you accepted the job?" you ask her.

"We did," said Rey. "We followed Kylo and Hux to this cave and faced off with Snoke. Kylo promised us that it would be a straightforward job: go in, execute Snoke, get out. He promised us that they would take care to get rid of Snoke's guards to make the job easy, but they didn't get rid of ALL of them. It forced me and Lor to split up and...and..."

Here, Rey sniffs and buries her face in her hands. Poe reaches out to clasp her shoulder; Finn moves to sit beside Rey on another chair (his giant wolf body somehow didn't break the spindly chair) and lick her hands. A few moments pass before Rey resurfaced; her hazel eyes were red and full of tears.

"He killed him," she sobbed. "Snoke killed the only father I ever knew."

You feel yourself tearing up as well. What would it mean to witness your parent's death in front of you? You couldn't imagine how it was for Rey, who lost her family a second time. "I'm so sorry, Rey."

"Snoke was sorry too when I stabbed him in the heart with the silver dagger," Rey seethed. "And after I killed him, I went looking for Kylo and Hux, but they got away. Fucking cowards..."

You wince at the harshness of her tone. You remember Hux's words earlier:

_"I doubt Kenobi thinks kindly of that time, you insensitive twat."_

Yikes. Kylo Ren is turning out to be a prime asshole. No wonder Rey hates his guts.

"From what we learned, the Clan of Ren disbanded after Snoke's death," Poe says, continuing the story for Rey. He sees your look of surprise and gives you a small grin. "My family's part of a network that assists vampire-hunters. We take care of the mundane shit like preparing passports, supplies, stuff like that."

And all you could say to that was "Oh wow."

You turn to look at Finn, whose giant head was now between Rey's hands. "And how does Finn factor in all of this? You married a werewolf!"

Poe smiles at his werewolf husband. "Finn was a rescue project of Rey's. He helped her out of a tight spot during one of her recon missions six years ago. He told her what he was and begged her and San Tekka to get him out of Transylvania. He's a son of one of the leading werewolves in Snoke's army but didn't want to be a part of it. Before he was turned, Rey and San Tekka reached out to us and we prepared a new name and paperwork for him so that he can get out of Dodge. I offered to house him when he first arrived here and next thing I know, I marry him."

Finn seems to smile at that.

"Wait, what do you mean 'before he was turned'?" you ask Poe. You point to the wolf sitting across from you and add "What do you call this?"

Finn gives a disgruntled huff.

"What I mean is that Finn isn't a _full_ werewolf," Poe explains. "How do I explain this? He turns into a wolf during the full moon, but he's his own person on the inside. There's a sort of ritual that has to happen before he can be called a 'full' werewolf, and he was desperate to escape before that happens. Before he met Rey."

"What does it mean to become a 'full' werewolf?" you ask. You weren't sure you'd like the answer.

"We're not quite sure," Rey replies. "All Finn knows is that it requires an alpha werewolf and a full moon. But when the ritual is completed, the werewolf is beholden to the alpha and will follow them, body and soul."

You cringe; it sounds like brainwashing to you.

Something that Poe had said triggered a memory. "You said that you prepared a new name for Finn. His former name wouldn't be 'Phineas Trooper', would it?"

Judging from the whimper across the table, you hit the nail on the head. Poe winces. "Yeah, that was his old name," he confirms. "And the woman who was looking for him was Cressida Phasma. She was one of Snoke's werewolf lieutenants."

"Lemme guess," you mutter. "She's an alpha."

Poe nods grimly.

"Great, now there's three of them in town," Rey groans as Finn growls. "I thought the other hunters would have whittled down their numbers after the Clan was disbanded."

"Guess not," Poe grumbles, rubbing a hand over his face. "Shit, we only called you here 'coz Phasma's in town. We didn't know the other head bloodsuckers were here, too!"

"Well, I'm already here, might as well have some fun with it," Rey says pragmatically. She looks at you sharply. "I think it would be best if you stay here for the night. I take it that you have the day off tomorrow?"

You nod.

"Good," Rey continues, standing up and heading to the fridge to get another bottle of cola. "You'll have to stay here with Finn and Poe indefinitely while we figure out a way to deal with the triumvirate. You can go with Finn or Poe to get your things from your apartment first thing in the morning."

And that's how you ended up sleeping on the sofa bed in the living room of your employers. You almost couldn't sleep that night with all this excitement and information and wondering what Hux would think when he finds that you're not sleeping in your apartment tonight.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit more exposition with Finn.

You start your Friday morning by waking up to see Rey sitting on the floor next to the sofa bed surrounded by slim wooden stakes, shiny bullets of varying sizes, black and red glass balls, fresh ropes of garlic, and containers of garlic powder and garlic capsules. You blink and rub your eyes before saying something.

" _Bzuh?_ "

Rey looks up and grins at you. "Good morning, [Y/N]! I hope I didn't wake you or anything?"

You shake your head and push off the bed. "Nah, I always wake up at--"

You check the time on your phone.

"--10 am?" you yelp. You sit up on the sofa bed and rub a hand over your face. "Wow, I overslept."

"Eh, it's your day off," Rey said flippantly as she reaches for one of the red balls on the floor. She inspects it, then places it in the large tan bag lying next to her before retrieving three more.

You twist around to sit on the side of your bed and gesture to the things on the floor. "You carry all of this in your bag?"

Rey laughed. "Just most of it," she said, and in the next couple of minutes, she tells you what they're for. The stakes and garlic were obvious; the red glass balls were garlic gas bombs (like the one she used on Hux and Kylo last night) and the black balls were diluted aconite gas bombs for werewolves.

"What is aconite again?" you ask while you fold up the sofa bed.

"Wolf's bane," Rey replies as she stands up to heft up her bag and test its weight. "It's diluted because powdered aconite is also toxic to humans. There's just enough in each ball to disorient a group of five werewolves, but I would advise against using this without protection."

Curious, you bend down and pick up the red glass ball. "What about garlic? I tried garlic powder on Hux once and he just sneezed."

"Ah," Rey replies. "Garlic in any form provokes a nasty kind of allergic reaction instead of killing them outright, like the movies show. I'm thinking it will take Emo and Ginger a couple of days to work off the effects of the garlic bomb from last night."

The conversation about weapons stopped here when your stomach growled in hunger. The two of you laugh.

"Better get some breakfast in you first," Rey chuckles as she follows you into the kitchen.

\--

After breakfast, Finn arrives at the house to pick you up and take you to your apartment. Rey opted out; she went and borrowed Poe's motorcycle to do some "scouting" and went on ahead. Later, you couldn't help but stare at Finn as he navigated the streets of Naboo in the dark orange sedan.

"Ask away, [Y/N]," he suddenly said, making you jump.

"What?"

"Not the question I was thinking you'd ask," Finn replied, snorting in amusement like the werewolf from last night.

"Sorry," you say sheepishly. You clear your throat. "What's it like, transforming into a wolf?"

He looks contemplative as he makes a right turn. "Hmmm...well, there's a period of uncomfortableness changing from a man to a wolf. It was quite painful the first time, when I was a teenager and my bones and skin weren't used to the transformation. Especially my legs..." He shakes his head and lets out a hiss.

"Oh...OOOOH!" you murmur, realizing (and wincing at) what he meant. Wolf legs were bent at the joint differently from human legs. "Oh dear Lord, I can't imagine...yikes!"

"Don't ask me about the tail," Finn mutters as he parks the car in front of your apartment building. He grasps your forearm when you were about to open the door and looks around the area. There were a few cars parked in front of the other buildings, and none of them seem to be suspicious to Finn.

"Can't be too careful, [Y/N]," he says quietly as he follows you into the building. "Just because vampires can't walk under the sun doesn't mean they don't have any regular humans in their payroll."

You remember Mitaka, the fake Uber driver, and wonder if Hux hired other humans.

"What about other werewolves?" you ask as you lead the way towards the elevator.

Finn waited until the doors closed before replying. "Doubtful. There was always tension between the vampires and werewolves in the Clan. Snoke left it to Phasma, Kylo and Hux to keep the peace between the two sides, and the three of them managed to do it while being barely civil to each other."

"Why do they hate each other?" you ask when the doors open. Finn didn't reply immediately, holding the elevator door open while he pokes his head out to look both ways. He even sniffed, paused, and then decided it was safe to continue when he signaled for you to lead the way to your apartment.

"The old argument about who's the superior being," he says, misunderstanding who the "they" you meant. After the two of you enter your apartment, he locks the door before following you to the door of your bedroom. "Phasma argues that werewolves are better because we can walk under the sun and mix with regular humans. However, we don't have the vampires' mind powers and flight capabilities. And I will tell you now: if you want to piss off vampires, make a reference from _Twilight_. The novels hurt their cred so badly, I think there's a vampire bounty on the author."

"Duly noted!" you snicker as you grab a duffel bag and start stuffing it with extra clothes, underwear, and your toiletries. You find Finn looking out the window in the living room. "I'm ready!"

"Hmmm...[Y/N], can you come here for a sec?"

You walk towards the window and peer down. Crossing the street were two identical, hulking figures wearing black, from their shades to their shoes.

"I know those guys," you say shakily. "They're the bouncer twins from Kylo's bar!"

Finn swore under his breath.

\--

You never thought you'd feel your heart beat so fast. Not even when you were in high school and Coach Wittenburg tried to whip your class into shape by ordering everyone to run laps around the track and field course. You only lasted three laps before you collapsed and had to be lifted to the nurse's office.

(You were certain your grandmother was the reason your class got a substitute coach for the rest of the year.)

Once you locked the door behind you, Finn (who has your duffel bag over his shoulder) pulled you towards the stairs you pointed out moments earlier. The two of you ran down as fast and as quietly as possible down the stairs until you reach the ground floor. Finn ordered you to stay put while he scopes out the ground floor. After a few moments, you were surprised to see Finn return with one of the bouncer twins.

Or rather, you were surprised by Finn dragging one of the unconscious bouncers across the floor. You rushed forward to prop the door open as Finn pulled in the large man and propped him awkwardly against the stairs.

"Do I want to know what happened?" you ask him. Finn was at least a quarter of the size of the hulking bouncer before you, and yet your boss hauled the guy in like he weighed no more than your stuffed duffel bag. It must be his werewolf powers, you thought.

Finn looks you in the eye. "I don't want to go into details."

You decided not to press the issue and hurriedly follow him out the building.


	12. Chapter 12

Despite being secured by a seat belt, you try not to flinch as Finn drives back to the house like the hounds of hell were after him. It was a miracle you weren't flagged down by the cops. Finn parks the sedan on the driveway without parking it inside the house and hurriedly escorts you towards the house.

"I don't know what Kylo is playing at," he mutters as he locks the door behind you and ushers you to the living room. "Stay here, I'm going to get you something."

He disappears into the room he shares with Poe and reappears a few minutes later holding a few items in his hands. He walks towards the sofa and lays out the items on the glass coffee table, holding one item at a time as he shares what each of them are:

"Stun gun...mace...garlic mace...and this foldable umbrella with a reinforced alloy steel frame, so it doubles as a security baton. How's your swing?"

"Pretty good," you inform him as you pick up the small red canister containing garlic mace. "No aconite mace?"

Finn shakes his head. "Too risky; the last batch of aconite mace had to be recalled after the Oregon incident two years ago. Details were sketchy, but somehow one of the canisters exploded during a confrontation. It was nasty...don't ask."

The two of you agreed to order pizza and spent the time waiting practicing your swing with the foldable umbrella. Looking rather innocuous with small white polka dots on solid black canopy, you were surprised at its heft when you picked it up. Finn laughed at your reaction.

"I thought you built up some muscle hefting all those books at Ileenium," he chortles as he moves the coffee table to one side of the living room to give you some swing room.

"Snap does the heavy lifting, not me!" you grouch.

\--

By the time Rey and Poe arrive at the house later that afternoon, you felt like you couldn't lift your arms anymore. You were sitting on the floor leaning against the couch. Sitting on the couch behind you, Finn carefully massages your shoulders.

"Babe, what did you do to [Y/N]?" Poe asks as he and Rey set the bags of Chinese take-out on the coffee table.

"Umbrella drills," Finn explains, nodding to the foldable umbrella on the floor. Poe laughs as he approaches Finn and gives him a sweet kiss on the lips.

"So [Y/N]," Rey says as she moves to your other side and helps you to stand up. "Think you're up to becoming the next Buffy the Vampire Slayer?"

"Eh, I don't know if my employers will let me, Rey," you reply, managing to hold in the groan.

"Hey, we can work on the schedule if you want to pursue this alternative lifestyle," Poe offers as he leads the way to the coffee table and takes out the packaged food from the bags. Finn heads to the kitchen to get some drinks.

"Do a hot soak in the tub later, [Y/N]," said Poe as he hands you your order of lemon chicken and garlic fried rice. To Rey, as he hands her the pork lo mien, he asks "How was your research, Rey?"

Rey takes the lo mien. "Pretty fruitful, Poe. Seems that Kylo Ren and Hux have been busy since I last saw them in Transylvania five years ago. I did a bit of digging at City Hall and found that Kylo owns a fair bit of property around Naboo aside from F.O. Bar. He purchased them all under the name of 'Benedict Organa'."

You stop chewing on a mouthful of chicken at the mention of the name. It seemed familiar to you for some reason...

"What about Hux?" Finn asks after swallowing some Szechuan Beef.

"Oh, you're going to love this," Rey says as she sets aside her lo mien in order to grab her tan bag and root inside it. "Are you familiar with the Arkanis Group of Companies?"

Finn shook his head, but you and Poe said "Yes" at the same time. Rey stops what she's doing and looks at you in surprise.

You shrug and explain. "Remember when I told you that Hux wrote to me about seeing a doctor? That doctor told me the appointment and tests were already paid for by the Arkanis Group."

Poe whistles. "You gotta hook me up with them next time I need dental," he tells you, grinning. "They're the big dogs in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries."

Rey nods. "And to think they started out as a chain of apothecaries in England." She pulls out a piece of paper and flattened in on the remaining space left on the coffee table. "Here's a rare photo of the current head of Arkanis. Look familiar, [Y/N]?"

You lean forward to take a look. It was a color print of an article dated two months ago. The picture shows the image of two men in expensive suits shaking hands, but your eyes were drawn to the taller of the two. He was looking off to one side with a slight grimace, as though he'd rather be anywhere but there, but there was no mistaking the brilliant red hair and pale features of General Hux.

"I didn't think he'd be the type to wear his hair long," you comment as you take in some features that stood out to you. In the picture, his hair reached his shoulders and...wait a minute.

"Hold on. How come someone was able to take a picture of him? Or was that thing about vampires and having no reflection a myth?"

"And notice how the picture was taken outside a building in broad daylight," added Finn.

"Wait, WHAT?!"

Rey chuckles. "That's because THAT guy isn't the _vampire_ Hux we know," she explains, grinning at you. "But he IS a relative, hence the close resemblance. That guy you see right there is his how-many-times-great nephew, Alastair Hux, current President of the Arkanis Group of Companies. He's a notoriously private individual who rarely goes out and prefers to do business meetings via Skype. According to the vampire-hunting grapevine, Armitage Hux is the one really pulling the strings for the company."

"Anything about Phasma?" Finn asks tersely.

Rey sighs. "That took longer for me to find out. Most of them were rumors from the grapevine, but it seems to check out. Cressida Phasma has been selling herself out as an assassin for hire." She then proceeds to rattle off a list of high-profile names that had been snuffed out or considered missing in the last five years. You could feel your eyebrows raise to your hairline as about three of them made the headlines last year alone.

The four of you fall silent at this information. You recall the tall, striking woman who walked into the bookstore a few days ago (though it felt like a lifetime). She was confident as hell and looked like someone who knows how to get what she wants.

You look at Finn. He's being hugged from behind by Poe and receiving gentle kisses on one side of his stoic face. You reach out and take his hand to squeeze it. You may not be as bad-ass as Rey, but you're not going to stand by and let Phasma get one of your awesome bosses.

\--

You can count that Saturday as one of the most stressful days of your life.

You accompany Poe, Finn and Rey to Ileenium Bookstore and the moment your bosses and the author of the moment head to the back office, your co-workers pounce on you and drag you to the back of the register to give you the third degree. Apparently, the short text you sent to Connie telling you that you and Rey were okay was not enough.

Connie: "I demand details, woman! You cannot just disappear on us like that when the smoke bombs went off and just explain it with ' _Rey & I are okay. See you Saturday!_'"

Jessika: "Honestly, while I am relieved that you and Rey got out okay, I am jealous that you went with her when shit happened! No offense, Connie!"

Snap: "Please tell me Rey took you vampire-hunting!"

Of the three of them, Snap's comment was the one that made you the most nervous, because it was NEARLY close to the truth.

You managed to appease them with an extremely abridged version of events: you pulled Rey into a private space to ask her opinion, the smoke bombs went off, and the two of you got out of the Bar and called Poe for an emergency lift. This seemed to be enough for them for now, as there wasn't any time to grill you further.

Jessika looked out the display window and gasped, "Oh, the humanity. They're outside and they are many!"

\--

The booksigning event itself took a total of three hours. One hour was spent on a Q&A where the hired emcee, a bouncy and hyperactive guy named Alex, chose the lucky fans to ask their questions to Rey. The remaining two hours were dedicated to Rey signing new copies of _The Chronicles of Van Helsing_ for the dozens of people who arrived to the event.

It was bedlam. Poe was at the door giving numbers to people; Ileenium will only accommodate the first one hundred fans. You and Jessika manned the registers as people started snapping up books. Snap and Connie took up people-herding positions as they led the people to the start of the long line leading to the author to have their newly purchased books signed. Finn and Alex took the other end of the line, timing the individual meet-and-greet-and-sign so that no fan would monopolize too much of Rey's time.

You wondered if Rey's hand will survive signing one hundred books in one day.

Finally, as Poe hands off the last numbered ticket, he closes the door and approaches the register.

"[Y/N], let's trade places for a spell. Can you go to Takodana's and grab our coffee orders? Finn and I already called in ahead and paid in advance, so you'll just have to pick it up."

You didn't mind; you needed a break from manning the cash register. "Will do, Poe."

You grab your bag and take the long route out of the bookstore via the employee's only door at the back and jogging around the corner and towards the direction of Takodana Cafe across the street. There's a lot of people crossing the street with you; most of them were the lucky people who already had their autographed books and others were heading to Ileenium, possibly hoping to catch a glimpse of a celebrity.

Halfway to Takodana, you nearly run into a very tall stranger.

"'Scuse me," you murmur, turning to walk around him. A large, gloved hand grasps your upper arm, stopping you.

"Not so fast, [Y/N]," said a familiar, deep voice. "I need your help getting her attention."

Horrified, you look up and take a good look at him. It was Kylo Ren, wearing a zipped-up black hoodie with the hood pulled over his head, dark glasses, black jeans and boots. But it was his face that shocked you; if you thought he was pale the last time you saw him, he looks absolutely _ghastly_ now under the afternoon sun. Almost as if...

"SPF 2000, baby," he said as he smirked at you.

And then people started screaming. A black Hummer suddenly swerved into the street you were standing in and headed towards you. You were dimly aware of people screaming your name across the street before everything turned black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suddenly got hit by the Muse and I am TYPING this out! If I keep this up, I'll have another chapter out soon!
> 
> I got some inspirations here and there while writing this chapter.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You wake up in an unfamiliar place...

You slowly wake up to a dimly-lit room and soft voices speaking in hushed tones. You twist a bit and find that you're lying on a soft, cushy surface, very comfortable. After blinking a few times and hearing a laugh track, you realize that the source of the light and sound was coming from the giant flatscreen TV that was facing you.

A long, muscled arm coils around you and reels you in until half your face is pressed against a firm chest. This wakes you up more effectively, because the pectoral your cheek is plastered to is uncovered (you nearly inhaled a pert nipple) and the skin covering it is cool to the touch. Too cool to be normal for humans...

"Oh my God, you're cold!" you yelp as you attempt to push yourself away. Unfortunately, you couldn't move. He didn't even flex to keep you plastered to his chest.

"Sorry about that," Kylo drawled. "It's a vampire thing. Anyway, smile for the camera, [Y/N]!"

"What? GAH!"

The flash blinded you. Bright spots took center stage in your retinas as you hear the tapping sound effects from a mobile phone.

"Sorry about that, babe," said Kylo, leaning over you to kiss you on your head. "Can't help but send a selfie of us to Hux. He's gonna be so pissed! Here, want a copy for your Facebook profile?"

He shows you the picture on his iPhone screen. You rub your eyes and look at it: unintentionally duck-faced and bleary-eyed, your was face half-squashed to Kylo's pale chest. With Kylo looking seductive with his half-lidded eyes, the whole picture looks like a post-sex scene.

_Blackmail material._

"Oh my God," you repeat, feeling positively queasy. And then you reach up to grab the phone, pulling it close to you. "Wait...you... _you're_ in this picture, too!"

"Well, yeah," said Kylo in amusement.

"B-but, you're a vampire..."

"Oh...OH!" He suddenly pinches your nose as he lets out a guffaw. "Oh, you are precious! Okay, that used to be our reality for hundreds of years because they used silver to make mirrors and--comparatively recently--develop pictures. And if you did your research, you'll know that silver and vampires don't mix. It's only in this centur that someone got the bright idea to use aluminum instead of silver to make mirrors. And digital devices like this one don't require silver to take pictures, so..."

"You guys can see your reflection now," you finish, looking at his iPhone in shock. "And get your pictures taken. Holy shit."

"Beats looking at water," he chuckles. Kylo lets you go and claps his hands, activating the lights in the room. You blink furiously, adjusting to the brightness as he rolls off the bed and saunter off to a huge rectangular mirror on one side of the humongous room. You stare at him: he's wearing black silk pajamas with the top unbuttoned and walking barefoot on the plush white carpet. He's using the mirror to fix his hair.

You look down at yourself; aside from your bare feet, you're still wearing your work uniform (orange and white Ileenium t-shirt and blue jeans). You're lying on a king-sized bed with silky dove-gray coverings. Raising yourself to a sitting position, you look around and realize that this room didn't have any windows. You turn to look at Kylo, who is now standing with his back to the mirror, still grinning at you.

"Where am I?" you ask.

"You're in my house," he replies.

"Why am I here?"

His grin grew wider. "I told you: I need your help to get her attention. For the meantime, you're my guest." His phone suddenly rings and he checks it. "Hah, he took the bait! Listen, I gotta take this call. Don't you go anywhere, babe. I'm going to send some food up for you in just a bit."

He seems amiable, but you opt to stay still as he heads for the double-doors on the other side of the room. As soon as the doors are closed, you jump up from the bed and start exploring. You find your sneakers and socks on one side of the bed, but not your bag; Kylo probably kept it somewhere else. You find another door and discover a bathroom that's looks about the same size as your living room, all cream marble with gold finishings. Like the bedroom, the bathroom didn't have any windows, but it feels well-ventilated. You marvel at the large white clawfoot bathtub and spacious shower. White towels hang on the bronze rack nearby and you make use of the vanilla soap by the sink to wash your face and neck before drying off with a fluffy towel. A set of brushes were laid out next to the sink, and you take one to brush the tangles out of your hair.

You give a start as someone knocks on your door. You drop the brush on the counter and scurry out of the bathroom as the double-doors open and one of the bouncer twins enters the room pushing a tray of covered food. Wearing his customary black uniform and a bulging tote bag hooked over one meaty arm, the large man pushes the trolley into the middle of the room and nods at the door; his twin enters with a small table and places it in front of the bed. Meanwhile, the first twin walks to one side of the room and picks up a chair as his brother pulls out a folded white tablecloth from a compartment under the trolley and unfolds it deftly before placing it over the table. Between the brothers, the tiny table was neatly set for a dinner for one.

The first twin turns to look at his brother. "I'll take it from here, Huey."

Huey nods back. "Okay, Louie. I'll go deal with the boss. You play nice, yeah?"

Louie smiles back at his twin, and you suddenly feel queasy as Huey closes the doors behind him. What did they mean by "play nice"? You don't like the sound of that.

Louie steps back and gestures to the table. "Dinner is served, Miss."

You swallow and walk slowly to the table. Steam was rising from the chicken and pasta dish, and the bowl of veggies next to it looked very appetizing.

"Stuffed chicken parmesan, spaghetti bolognese and steamed brocolli with cheese," Louie rattled off. And then he looks sternly at you. "I also want to ask you one thing."

You freeze on the spot as Louie takes a few steps towards you while putting his hand inside the bag. He pulls out...a book? The well-worn cover looks familiar to you.

The muscled man lifts the book to your face. "I've been looking for _Hot Swords_ for ages! Can I borrow this? I'll give it back to you as soon as I'm done. Scout's honor!"

You look from the cover of _Hot Swords_ to Louie's hopeful expression and then to the tote bag hanging on his arm. He turns to what you're looking at and actually had the grace to blush.

\--

Far from being threatened by a 200-pound, 6-foot-something behemoth, you found yourself a fellow romance novel addict in Louie. Who knew such an intimidating guy would love this kind of literature?

While you ate your dinner, the two of you discuss favorite titles and authors. You find out that it was Louie who went up to your apartment yesterday and his brother Huey was the one Finn had knocked out on the ground floor.

"Sorry 'bout that," he says sheepishly. "I had orders to check your place out and--and bring you to the boss. I didn't see you there, but then I saw all your books...look, I'm more of a lover than a fighter, and only my brother gets me and I LOVE reading these love stories to decompress..."

"It's okay," you assure him before shoving the last spoonful of cheesy brocolli into your mouth. Once you got to talking with Louie, you find him to be a nice guy with a great sense of humor. "The food is fantastic! I would have thought that, with your boss being a vampire and all..."

"Oh, well, the boss is actually pretty nice for, you know. He actually borrowed Dewey from one of his three-star restaurants just for tonight. He's an A-plus chef; the boss would tell me and Huey to head down to Chez Chandrila for free grub every now and then."

"Wow, that's some perk!" you say honestly. "And is Dewey related to you and Huey?"

"Nope. Why d'you ask?"

"Just curious," you squeak, trying to fight down a fit of laughter at Louie's confused expression. "Anyway, you were saying that I shouldn't get _Rough Silk_?"

Louie shakes his head. "It's a dud, I tell ya. I'm thinkin' Unamo is losing her touch, and this is just her third..."

**BLAM!**

You and Louie jump as the double-doors were blasted off their hinges. You let out a yelp as Armitage Hux storms into the room looking positively wild.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, many thanks to **Hbanana1920** for the romance novel title suggestions! Unfortunately, Reader would not find out why _Rough Silk_ was a dud.
> 
> Kylo's explanation on vampire reflections and silver came from this [Tumblr thread](http://ectoimp.tumblr.com/post/162295153914/skysinger-musings-thanks-for-the-scarf).


	14. Chapter 14

Louie springs to his feet, but before he could do or say anything else, he rolls his eyes and crumples to the floor.

"Louie!" you cry out. You look around and jump; Hux somehow managed to cover the space between the door and your little dining table in the blink of an eye and was standing right in front of you. He raised two long, pale hands and cupped your face with them. You yelp in surprise at how cold they are and try to pull back, but his grip was strong and sure. Your face is trapped.

"Sorry," he said gruffly, turning your face gently side-to-side. "Did that idiot hurt you?"

"Louie did nothing to me!" you reply indignantly.

"I meant his boss, the one with the impulse control issues," he dryly clarifies. He gently turns your head sideways to inspect both sides of your neck. "Thank goodness," he mutters.

He caresses one side of your face with his thumb before he lets you go.

You take a step away from him. "What did you do to Louie? He didn't do anything to me!"

Hux rolls his eyes and takes a look around the room. "I just gave him the suggestion to sleep, that's all. Less messy this way. He'll wake up in the morning or until Kylo makes a counter-suggestion." At your stare, he gives out a huff. "He'll be fine, [Y/N]!"

As if to underscore his point, Louie let out a loud snore.

"Right," you say slowly. "How did you get in here? Isn't there some kind of vampire rule about crossing private property or something?"

Hux rolls his eyes before bending down to pick up your shoes. "Kylo invited me in during our brief phone call. And to get back at him for kidnapping you..."

Just as he hands you your footwear, you hear a faint crash coming from somewhere out the door.

"...I might have given his home address to his favorite hunter."

\---

As soon as you tied your last shoelace, Hux escorted you out of the room. He led you through a short hallway that seemed more suited to a hotel than a private residence. Tan carpeting with black borders lined the floor and the cream marble walls were bare of adornments save for the light fixtures secured to the wall spaced evenly apart. To your surprise, Hux led you to a set of marble stairs that led up.

Hux looks at you and immediately homes in on your unspoken question. "We're underground," he explains as he leads you up the stairs. "Think of it as a luxuriously refurbished basement. The one-storey house built on top of this structure is a front for Kylo's dealings with mortals. I myself have similar accomodations back at my place, much more tasteful than this. I would be honored to take you there if you like."

"Er...let me see if my schedule is clear first," you manage to say with a straight face. "Right now, I can't tell you when I'll be available because Kylo took my bag."

Hux snorted. "He'll have it in his study upstairs, I'll bet. Come along; I need to give him a piece of my mind before we go."

At the top of the stairs, the two of you reach an ornately carved stone doorway that framed a dark wooden door without a knob. It seemed to make sense to Hux, who raised his hand to press on the lotus flower carved on the right side. You let out a "woah!" as the door swung open away from you.

You blink furiously as you take in the well-lit room beyond the door.

"Are we back at the Bar?!" you ask.

"No, though I can't blame you for thinking that," Hux said dryly as he steps onto the red-carpeted floor of a room that looks completely identical to Kylo's office above the F.O. Bar. The furnishings even looked the same, from the overstuffed armchairs across the huge black desk right down to the large white rug with a black hexagon and white circle with inverted spikes. The one difference here was that this room was completely windowless.

Hux pointed to a lump on the black sofa parked against one wall. "Is that your bag, [Y/N]?"

You walk towards the thing he was pointing at and confirm, "Yeah, that's my purse!"

Just as you reach for your bag, the door on the other side of the room was violently kicked open, making you screech in surprise. Then you nearly went blind as a very bright light was pointed at your face.

"AUGH, MY EYES!" you scream.

"[Y/N]!"

The light was moved away from your face and you were suddenly pulled into someone's arms. Through the bright spots dancing in your vision, you could barely make out the familiar chiseled features of Poe Dameron.

"Poe?! What're you doing here?" you ask.

" _What am I doing here_?" he repeats. "We're here to rescue you, girl!"

"We?"

"Rey and Finn are here, too," he explains. Poe unwraps his arms around you to put you at arm's length, turning you sideways to get a good look at you. "Are you okay? Did Kylo hurt you?"

"I'm okay, Kylo didn't hurt me, and Hux just broke me out from the basement room," you tell him. You blink some more and take in what he's wearing. "Are you wearing a ninja suit?!"

Before Poe could reply, a hand wraps around your upper arm and pulls you away from your boss. Poe looked surprised for a moment before his handsome face twisted into a scowl as he recognized the redhead pulling you away from him.

"Hux!" he growls.

"Dameron," Hux responded stiffly. "As you can see, [Y/N] is safe with me..."

Poe let out a snort. "Well, THANK YOU for saving her from the basement," he says sarcastically. Poe reaches out to grasp your other arm and attempt to pull you away from Hux. "We'll be on our way."

Hux pulls you back to him. "I think [Y/N] will be safer with me, Dameron. Kylo won't be able to kidnap her once she is in my protection."

Poe pulls you back to him. "Like we'd let you have her..."

"Don't I have a say in this?!" you growl as you attempt to shake them off you. "Let me go, you two!"

"See, I told you she's fine!"

The three of you stop bickering at Kylo's yell. You turn to look at the door just as Rey and Finn rush to Poe's side. Kylo stands under the doorway, looking at Rey with an strange look. He wasn't smiling, but he seemed pleased.

"[Y/N], are you okay?!" Rey murmured, giving you a quick once-over. She looks overdressed next to Poe: she's wearing a black tactical vest. You didn't watch a lot of action movies, but the wooden stakes stuffed into the slots where the giant bullets usually were looked like overkill to you.

"I'm okay, Rey," you tell her. You look over your shoulder at Hux. "Will you please let me go?"

But the General wasn't paying attention to you just then. He was scowling at Kylo still standing by the door, who still wouldn't look away from Rey.

"Just the jackass I was looking for," Hux grumbled. "What the bloody hell was all this for, Kylo? Are you so fucking bored that you would resort to kidnapping?"

"Could be," Kylo replies with a careless shrug. He looks away from Rey, and the loving look on his face morphed into something hard and furious. "Or maybe I just want to piss you off like always."

You look back to Hux; the redhead stared back at Kylo looking mystified for a moment before closing his eyes and shaking his head.

"Seriously? After all these years, you still haven't forgiven me for _turning_ you."

"What?!" you cry out, looking between the two vampires.

"Huh, I always thought it was the other way around," Rey murmured.

"That's rich, coming from you," Kylo shot back. "If you think it's ridiculous that I've been holding on to this grudge, you should stop being a hypocrite and let [Y/N] go."

Hux was shocked. "Excuse me?!"

Kylo smirks at him. "I'm not the only one who doesn't know how to let go, _Armitage_." He looks at you and shakes his head. "I know about Amelia."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got over that writer's block.
> 
> Ren means lotus in Japanese, hence the lotus button that opens the door.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and your friends find out more about your "friendly" neighborhood vampires.

You wince as Hux tightens his hold on your arm at the mention of the name. _Amelia_. You look away from Kylo's smirk and...

Was it a trick of the light, or did you just imagine that flash of red in Hux's blue-green eyes as he continued to glare at Kylo?

"Who's Amelia?" Finn asks.

"None of your business, traitor," Hux growls.

Poe bristles next to you. "Finn has every right to ask," he snapped at Hux. "[Y/N] is our friend and employee, and we get concerned for her safety when a couple of vampires decide to kidnap her."

"I did't kidnap her, Kylo kidnapped her," Hux said in exasperation, pulling you back to his side without him breaking eye contact from Poe. "I came here to rescue her."

"Yeah, right," Poe sneered, pulling you back to his side.

"Please let go of my arms," you pleaded. "I feel like the two of you are going to pull them out of their sockets."

The two men immediately let you go, and you take a few steps away from them as you stretch and rub your upper arms. The tug-of-war between Poe and Hux made you a bit sore and a little dizzy.

"Hey, at least I didn't kidnap her to drink her blood," Kylo said snidely. To your surprise, two spots of bright pink appeared on Hux's pale cheeks. "Yeah, you didn't think I wouldn't know about that Uber stunt you pulled in front of my bar, did you?"

Rey, Poe and Finn scowled; they remembered your brief accounting back at their house. You let out a squeak as Finn pulls you away from Hux and pushed you behind him. Rey takes two steps to stand on your other side.

"You manky git," Hux snarled. "You think you're so blameless? Don't think I don't know why you kidnapped [Y/N]. You always did pull the stupidest stunts just to catch Kenobi's attention."

At the mention of her surname, you turn to look at Rey. Her hazel eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets as she turned slowly to look at Kylo, who looked impassive as he stared resolutely back at Hux.

Hux wasn't done yet. "Oh yes. Remember _Cluj-Finalizer_? Don't think _I_ didn't know about that one time you let Rey Kenobi go because you suddenly fancied her."

"Shuddup, Hux!" Kylo gritted out. Rey decided to give the carpet her undivided attention. Finn and Poe looked from Kylo to Hux like avid tennis match attendees.

But Hux wasn't shutting up. "I'm not done yet, _Corporal_ ," he sneers.

"Corporal?" you repeat, looking at Kylo in surprise.

"Kylo Ren was a name the Supreme Leader bequeathed to him when he was promoted to lead the vampires of the Clan of Ren," Hux clarified rather grumpily.

"I never asked for that," Kylo snaps, but Hux continued:

"Anyway, he and Kenobi kept 'meeting' all over Transylvania's finest and worst clubs, all the way up to Bran Castle..."

"Not another word, Armitage Hux!" Rey hissed, her red face a mix of horror and rage. She pointed a threatening finger at the redhead while clutching a red glass ball in the other hand. Hux and Ren raised their hands in the air as Rey enunciates, "Not. Another. **Word**."

For a moment, silence reigned inside the room. Finn and Poe shared a look of bewilderment before turning to look at Rey. Rey was glaring at Hux, holding the garlic glass bomb so tightly you were scared that it was going to shatter in her hand. Hux and Kylo looked nervously at the vampire-hunter like she was holding a live hand grenade. All of this you noticed while peeking a bit from Finn's shoulder.

You settle back and let out a huff. Sometimes, you'd make a wish out of boredom for some excitement in your life, like meeting a celebrity or being swept off your feet by a modern-day gallant knight. Whoever approved of that wish really took it to extremes, and not even the bungee-jumping variety of extreme. Vampires, werewolves, kidnapping, surprise doctor's appointments, and a secret hunting society? Hell, you didn't ask for all this.

You let out another huff and walked around to grab the red ball from her hand, stunning Rey with your actions.

"Can I just..." you start to say, moving to the center of the room. "Look, I have questions, and since SOMEBODY decided to put me into this situation..."

You pause to stare at Hux, who didn't react at all.

"...I feel that I'm entitled to some answers," you finish lamely, without breaking eye contact with Hux. "So, can I ask the questions and get some answers? Please?"

You hold the red glass ball in both your hands and lift it up to your chest as you make your request. Hux and Kylo look at each other grimly before moving: Kylo took a seat behind the huge desk while Hux moved to stand in one corner. Poe, Finn and Rey walk to one overstuffed armchair, letting Rey sit down on it while the two men stood behind her. You decide to keep standing; you walk to the bookcase facing Kylo's desk and lean on it, looking at everyone in the room.

Once everyone was seated, you realize you don't know where to start. You had so many questions running inside your head...

"So, what do you want to know?" Kylo asks as he leans back on his swivel chair.

There. Kylo provided you with an opening. You look at him and ask, "What's your real name, Kylo?"

Kylo gives you a grim grin. "My human name was Corporal Benedict Organa Solo," he replies. He shakes his head, looking sad. "God, I haven't told anyone my full name since 1943..."

"You were in the army too?" you say in surprise.

Rey leans forward, looking at Kylo speculatively. "You actually used part of your real name to get properties around Naboo?"

"I was part of the 5th Marine Regiment; I was supposed to be deployed to New Zealand en route to Guadacanal before this jerkwad came and turned me into a vampire the night before." He scowls at Hux before answering Rey's query: "And yes, I thought it would be more prudent to use my name when I decided to become an honest businessman."

"Of all the surnames you would use, you had to use 'Organa', the one that died out in the 1940's," Rey murmured, shaking her head.

"Organa...Benedict Organa..." you murmur to yourself. "Wait, that was the name on that cookbook I got last Tuesday!" You look at Kylo. "You WROTE that book?"

Kylo chuckles. "I got enough time to purse a medical degree. And I didn't just write it, I also had Huey deliver it to your front door." He turns to Hux, who looks even grumpier than usual. "And don't say I didn't do anything for you, jerkwad."

"You're NOT helping," Hux grumbles.

You turn to Hux. "Did you know about this?!"

Hux's grumpy demeanor morphed into one of unease. "From the moment I saw the cover," he admitted, looking away from you. "After I left your apartment, I called Ren and gave him a thorough tongue-lashing and warned him to stay away from you...a warning that he definitely ignored."

"I might have tuned out at some point," Kylo drawled. "Tongue-lashing," he mutters, rolling his eyes.

"That's real mature, guys," Poe drawls. Finn snorts in amusement, which made Kylo scowl in his general direction.

You look sourly at Kylo. "That was not helpful," you tell him. "But from what I'm hearing tonight, you do this to piss him off...because he turned you into a vampire?"

You immediately regret saying that; cold fury changed his features.

" _I never asked to be a vampire!_ " Kylo thundered, jumping out of his chair in agitation. "I just wanted to serve my country like my grandfather before me, and if I lived, I wanted to see more of the world and have a family of my own! Instead, I woke up one night with this prick latched onto my neck, sucking the blood out of me until I passed out. I thought I was dying, but he used his own blood to turn me into a monster like him! I couldn't go back after that, and the Army thought I went AWOL. _AWOL!_ My parents died thinking I deserted my post!"

He howled at the last sentence, making you tighten your hold on the glass ball. From his corner, Hux looked stoically at Kylo, who was breathing heavily like he ran a marathon full-tilt. The large man turned his head to look at Hux with an odd expression.

"At least Amelia died knowing differently about you," he said in a low voice.

"Don't you dare!" Hux hissed, pushing himself away from his corner to approach Kylo.

"Hux!" you call out in warning, raising the red ball in the air. Hux flinched and stopped moving. "Who is Amelia?" you ask.

"Don't you dare, Ren!" Hux hissed. "Don't you _dare_..."

"Oh, I do dare," Kylo snarled; he looked unhinged. "Pretty little Amelia that Daddy Hux didn't approve of because she's 'common'. You promised her that you'd come back from Balaclava and live away from Arkanis Manor and live happily ever after in London as man and wife..."

"God damn it, Kylo, STOP IT!"

"But ol' Lord Snoke decided to recruit you into HIS undead army and, just like with me, he snuck into your tent and turned you into a vampire."

Kylo straightened up and turned to face Hux. You and Rey stiffened, each of you (Rey had an extra in a sling bag) holding a garlic gas bomb at the ready.

"With the blood left on your bed, the War Office thought that you were murdered in your sleep and your body taken away by the enemy. The 'unsolved murder' they put under lock and key. They decided to inform your family that you officially died during the Charge of the Heavy Brigade but they couldn't find your body. When the news hit the rest of your village, poor little Amelia died from the shock."

Hux was positively livid. His lips were drawn into a thin line and good Lord, there was that flash of red again in his eyes!

"What does Amelia have anything to do with [Y/N]?" Rey asked in a quiet voice.

"Everything, Rey," Kylo replied just as softly. From his desk, he pulls a drawer and pulls a small, thin, square case from it.

Hux gasped. "Where did you get that?"

Kylo did not reply. He hands the object out to Rey on the palm of his hand, its surface reflecting the light in the room. Rey stands up and takes it from him, releasing the catch on the side to open it as Poe and Finn lean over to get a better look over her shoulders. You approach Rey as she turns to face you. Whatever was inside had shocked her and your employers.

"Oh my God," she breathes, looking at you as she hands you the object. You look down at it; it was case containing two pictures. On the left was unmistakably Armitage Hux from the waist up, wearing formal clothes of the era and sporting quite the mutton chops. On the right, wearing a modest dress and with her hair pinned back save for ringlets on the side of her face...

"She looks like...me," you whisper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ye gads, what a break between chapters! I had to oversee some things in RL.
> 
> Thank you Wikipedia for the information on the Battle of Balaclava. Corporal Solo would have been deployed to the Guadacanal Campaign if Hux hadn't stepped in. And why did Rey freak out about Bran Castle? ;)


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now with backstory from Kylo and Hux.

_She looks like me._

You stare down at the small portraits in your hand, dimly aware of the argument brewing around you.

He had been stalking you all this time because you resemble a woman he once loved more than a lifetime ago.

You're not sure how to process this information. It was like someone turned the switch off of your feelings and your hearing. This vampire, this former General, went through all this trouble of stalking you and giving you things because you looked like someone else. You think back on the night he picked you up in the fake Uber, the appointment with Dr. Kalonia, the package of assorted meats...

"...suppose you know that Phasma is here, do you?"

Your hearing returned; you missed most of the argument between the vampires and something made Rey ask that question. You look up and see Kylo stare at Rey with a surprised expression.

"Phasma is here?" he parroted. He looks at Hux, whose face mirrored his shock. "Last I heard, she was in Wellington a month ago!"

"Why do I get the feeling you're not friends anymore?" Poe asked.

"Friends?" Hux snorts, shaking his head. " _Friends_? We were barely civil with each other when we were all under Snoke's thumb. The night after his demise, Phasma and the rest of her pack confronted our coven and attacked us, trying to fill in the vacancy of Supreme Leader. The loss on both sides..." Hux shakes his head.

"Phasma is here," Kylo repeated, walking towards a chair and sitting heavily into it. "Fuuuuuck..."

"Why are you swearing?" you ask quietly. "Can someone enlighten us please?"

Hux sighed. "Because the last time we saw Phasma in Transylvania, her mate Kristof Tormund was killed during the battle, and she blames us-" (he gestures to himself and Kylo, who buried his face in his large hands) "-for his death."

"That dumbass," Kylo muttered, rubbing his face furiously. "I saw what happened; he triggered one of Snoke's booby traps while he was fighting me and Thanisson. After Tormund cracked Thanisson's skull, he threw the kid's body on the trigger and got perforated by the spike trap."

"Oh my God," Finn whispered in horror. "I think I helped set up that trap. Is that the one near the women's communal showers, the one that looks like an upside-down bear trap with rows of teeth from the ceiling?"

Kylo nodded. "That's the one."

The grisly mental image that produced made you queasy again.

"I thought--I thought you need silver to kill a werewolf?" you ask weakly, giving Finn an apologetic look.

"S'ok, [Y/N]," he mouths back.

"Sweetheart, anyone can die if you crush their brain or stab them through the heart," said Hux. "We're just a tad more sensitive to..."

"Except zombies," Kylo interrupted. "They operate on a whole 'nother level of weird. You need to chop off their heads and burn their bodies to make sure they stay dead."

" _Zombies are real, too?!_ " you yelp.

"They are, but they're rare, [Y/N]," Finn said reassuringly. "They're more localized in areas where necromancers live; long story..."

"Wait a minute," Rey interrupts. She stares at Hux and Kylo. "We're straying away from the topic. Why are you two afraid of Phasma?"

Hux and Kylo took turns looking at Rey before facing each other.

"As Hux here has mentioned, Phasma has a grudge against us," Kylo mutters, reaching behind him to slide open a secret panel next to a display case of crystal glasses and decanters filled with clear amber liquids. Behind the panel was a small refrigerator, which Kylo opens to reveal a stack of plastic bags containing...

_Good Lord!_

"That explains the missing stock from Naboo's blood bank," Rey muttered darkly as Kylo takes two blood bags and offers one of them to Hux, who politely declined with a shake of his head. Kylo shrugs and returns one bag into the mini-fridge.

"Hey, it's either this or we go out looking for people to slake our eternal thirst," Kylo said flippantly as he retrieves a glass tumbler from the display. "And it's not like we don't make up for it! Hux and I make generous donations to the hospital and the Red Cross."

Rey rolled her eyes.

"Refrigeration and blood banks do make it easier for us to get by without taking someone's life," Hux said reasonably while Kylo squeezed the contents from the bag into the tumbler. "And donated blood has a short shelf life. Really, we're doing you mortals a favor by taking the excess."

"That is both disturbing and insightful," Poe said tightly. You decide to focus your attention to the floor of the library while Kylo took a sip.

"That still doesn't explain why the top two vampires from the Clan are afraid of one werewolf," Rey says stoically.

Kylo nearly choked on his tumbler of blood. The three of you immediately jumped away as Kylo sprayed the top of his desk with a mouthful of red. Hux rolled his eyes as he watched his compatriot cough out the liquid that went the wrong way.

"I thought you had your ear to the ground about these things, Kenobi," Hux said dryly. "Let me ask you something: aside from myself and this oversized child here..."

Kylo, who was wiping the blood off his face, immediately took offense to that. "Hey!"

"...have you encountered the other vampire members of the Clan of Ren?"

You observe Rey sharing a look with Poe and Finn.

"Just you two," Rey conceded.

You look at Hux, who gave Rey a smile devoid of humor.

"The skirmish between the werewolves and vampires lasted until daybreak. The ones who were too foolish or too weakened from the battle immediately perished under the sun. Only Kylo, myself, and three others survived for the simple fact that we barricaded ourselves in the basement of an abandoned house nearby. Of the werewolves-present company excluded-I hear it was Phasma, Bazine Netal and Malarus who survived. The five of us agreed to split Snoke's treasures between us and went on our separate ways. The reason you haven't heard about the others is because Phasma and her cohorts have been taking us out, one by one. Being able to walk under the sun without turning to ash is an advantage they used against us."

Hux let out a sigh. You take in his pensive expression and the grim look on Kylo's (now clean) face and realize...

"You and Kylo are the only vampires left from the Clan," you say softly.

Hux nodded. "Kylo and I have compared notes; his contacts in New Zealand informed us that Viggo Ren was turned to ash. They managed to confirm it was him based from the false teeth they found near his remains."

"Viggo was the third vampire she vaporized; Hux and I are next," Kylo grumbled. Jabbing a finger in Finn's direction, he continues: "Unless she's here to claim this traitor over here for turning."

Finn stiffens while Poe and Rey suddenly became poker-faced. It didn't take you long to realize that Kylo was getting too close to the truth, which was something they need to keep close to the chest. Phasma had already visited the bookstore...you hoped that your face didn't betray your friends.

"We need to prepare," Hux muttered. "I have to get Alastair out of the country and..."

You look up and find Hux standing right in front of you.

"[Y/N], can we...?"

Before he could could complete his question, they hear a yell from outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow, what a break between chapters! I got hit with writer's block thanks to anxiety for things that should be happening but were delayed. Very frustrating, and not helping with the writing mojo. Mostly, I was stuck on how I should proceed in this chapter. Thankfully, after watching "What We Do in the Shadows", I got inspired to continue!
> 
> As I've discovered in the Characters Page from TVTropes, Commander Malarus is a giant woman who featured in the Poe Dameron comic. Based from her description, she sounds hella scary.


	17. Chapter 17

Finn stared at the door. You look down at his hands and notice him clench his fists as Rey started to walk out of the room. In the blink of an eye, Kylo blocks her way. You jumped when you realized what Kylo had done; he had just been behind his freaking huge desk!

You're not sure if you'll ever get used to vampires and their super-speed. To Rey's credit, she didn't seem phased by it. "What do you think you're do--?"

"Malarus is here."

You look up at that whispered revelation; Finn's eyes were wide, his breathing became erratic, and his forehead was beaded with sweat. It looked like he was having a panic attack. Poe moves swiftly to stand next to his husband.

"Breathe," Poe whispered, taking Finn's face in his hands. "You're not alone now, babe. Deep breaths, that's it..."

From the door, Rey stared at Finn in concern. You look at her, both alarmed and confused by Finn's reaction.

"How scary is he?" you ask her.

"She, actually, and she's almost as pleasant as Phasma," Rey mutters as she reaches into her bag and produces a pair of slim black cylinders. With a quick jerk, the full length of the expandable metal batons are revealed. "This is going to get hairy. Poe, you better stay here with Finn and [Y/N], I'll go deal with Malarus."

"Oh no you don't!" Kylo hissed at her, grabbing her upper arms and pulling her away from the door. With his unholy strength, Rey could only splutter indignantly. "You stay here! Hux and I will deal with Malarus..."

"Oh sure, drag me into the fray, why don't you?" Hux grumbles. "You go out there and deal with her. This is _your_ house, remember?"

"Yeah, I do remember," Kylo snarls, turning away from Rey to glower at the redhead. "I can also uninvite you from my home and have Malarus chase you instead, give the rest of us a headstart..."

**BLAM!**

You let out a shriek as the door was violently kicked from the outside. Kylo immediately covered Rey with his large form, shielding her from the threat just as Poe moved to stand in front of Finn. You let out a squeak as Hux pulls you away from your employers to push you behind his back.

You hear a heavy tread. Finn's breathing became quick and erratic again.

"You do realize I can hear what you're all saying in here?" said a loud and cold voice.

You couldn't help yourself; you take a peek from behind Hux's arm to look at the newcomer.

In profile to you was a tall and broad woman with an eye-patch covering her left eye. Based from your recollection of Phasma at the bookstore, this woman is shorter in stature by a few inches, potentially the same height as Hux. Her dark blonde hair was tied up so tight in a bun near the top of her head that you wonder how she's able to blink. She's wearing what looks like an all-black leather suit; you wildly thought she just needed a fucking whip to complete someone's fetish dreams.

Then you peer at her face a bit longer and realize that that wasn't sloppily-applied red lipstick on her lips...and on her chin...

_Oh God..._

Who did the yelling earlier and what happened to them?

"Well, well, well," Malarus drawls, looking around the room and grinning. That grin was giving you chills; it made her look feral. "I come here to collect the whelp, and what do I find?" Her grin became even more malevolent. "Two more traitors to finish off, and three bonus humans to spare, how delightful. Bazine is going to be so disappointed to miss out on the fun."

"You seem pretty confident, considering you're outnumbered," Kylo countered harshly. "What have you done to Huey?"

Malarus shrugged. "He was still breathing when I left him," she answered, seemingly nonchalant about the status of Kylo's hired man. "And you seem _overconfident_ in your numbers. I'll let you live long enough for me to gloat before I leave you under the sun to die."

Damn, she's confident. And with the way Kylo reacted to Rey getting ready to face this character...

"No!" Finn yelled. He walks around a horrified Poe and stands in the middle of the room, facing down Malarus. "I'll go with you peacefully. This doesn't have to get ugly, Malarus."

The blonde woman just shakes her head. "Where's the fun in that, whelp? I have my orders from Alpha Phasma: bring you to her and kill any vampires of Ren left standing." She turns to look at Poe, who once again moved to stand in front of his husband. "And if you're lucky, he might survive my bite tonight..."

That was all it took for hell to break loose.

The last thing you saw in Kylo's library/office was Finn pushing Poe aside to launch himself at Malarus before Hux wrapped his wiry arms around you. The next thing you know, he was setting you down on some plushly carpeted floor. The sounds of fighting and breaking things continued in earnest.

"Stay here and keep away from the fight, alright?" he instructs you in a low tone. He turns around, hesitates a bit, and then impulsively kisses you on the cheek before sprinting away.

Shocked, you stare at the place where Hux used to be and place a hand on the cheek he kissed. His lips were cold, but oh, they were as soft as they looked...

And then, over the din of the fight, you hear someone groan.

You shake yourself out of your reverie and look around. Hux had placed you next to a large fireplace in a huge, tastefully furnished living room done in cream and black. The light given off by the three black iron chandeliers above cast the room in a warm light...and also showed you a large form in black lying on his stomach, his face turned away from you.

"Oh my God!" you cry out, scrambling forward to check on the bouncer. It was Huey, Louie's twin! Clearly, he was the one you heard yelling earlier. You reach the large man's side and attempt to roll him over. When you leaned forward to try to grasp his shoulder, you recoiled in horror: his right shoulder is drenched. You pull your hand back to see your palm covered in Huey's blood.

"Holy shit," you whisper just as a body went flying overhead, hitting one of the iron chandeliers before crashing down a few feet away from you onto a glass coffee table. You turn around to see Kylo Ren looking a bit dazed, shaking his head as he gingerly pushed himself up from the crushed glass. He didn't seem to notice that he's putting his bare hands on the sharp debris.

You try not to cringe when you look into his face and see the dark color of his eyes had been replaced with red.

"What the fuck are you doing, [Y/N]?!" he snarled at you just as another body went flying over your heads. "Get out of the way before you get yourself killed!"

You start sputtering as Kylo reaches you and lifts you by the arms. "B-but Huey...he needs help!"

"Look out!"

Thanks to Poe's warning and Kylo's speed, you were suddenly on the other side of the living room behind a giant sofa. The moment Kylo lets you go, you turn around and find that Malarus, Finn, and Rey were facing off at the spot you just vacated. Poe and Hux--who was the second body sent flying into the room--carefully walked around the combatants to get to the unconscious Huey. The two of them reached the prone body at the same time; Hux reached down and, as though the huge man weighed nothing, lifted Huey by the armpits and hauled him away to a corner of the room.

Then you focused on the fight in the center of the room. Poe joined in, attempting to clobber Malarus from behind with a baton similar to the ones Rey wielded, but the large woman seemed to sense him coming. She turned to catch him mid-jump and turned like a shot-putter to throw him at Finn, who caught his spouse in the air. The two men went tumbling.

Malarus then turned to face Rey.

" _No!_ " Kylo howled, vaulting into the air straight at the werewolf and knocking Malarus off her feet. Malarus snarled, striking Kylo across the face before throwing him off her with such force that he hit the space between the iron chandeliers before gravity forced him back to the floor.

From your vantage point, you notice that one of the chandeliers seemed to be swaying harder than the other two...

Heart racing, you look back to the center of the living room: Hux had joined the fight. You frantically looked around; on a nearby coffee table, you spied a ceramic ashtray.

"I hope this works," you mutter as you grab the dark gray thing, prayed that your crazy idea would work, and throw it as hard as you can towards the wonky chandelier.

It was only after you threw the ashtray that you suddenly remembered that you have a really, really bad aim.

You watch as the ashtray flew an arc into the air, barely high enough to reach the chandelier, and hit Malarus in the face just as she was about to land a blow on Rey.

It specifically hit her on her nose.

Hux and Rey paused in their attack, shocked at the sight of the intimidating woman in front of them bleeding profusely from her broken nose. Their shared expression of shock would have been hysterical--if you weren't so scared _shitless_ at what you've just done.

Malarus shrieked in outrage and turned her sights on you.

"Big mistake!" she snarled as she started to move towards you.

You start screaming like a little girl right before getting tackled to the ground.

"Do it Rey!" Finn screamed over your head.

You hear glass break, followed by a horrible retching noise. You hear someone let out a guttural war cry--judging from the baritone, it sounded like Kylo Ren--followed by the sound of a dull crack and a heavy thud.

"What happened?" you asked, trying to get Finn off you to see what happened. The sofa blocked your view of the living room, and Finn seems reluctant to let you up as he carefully pushes himself up to peer over the back of the sofa. From your limited view, you saw him wince before he stands up.

"[Y/N], I'll let you up, but you'll need to close your eyes while I lead you back to Kylo's office," Finn explains quietly.

You stare at your employer for a moment.

"That--that bad?" you ask him.

He nods. "It's--it's not pretty."

You swallow nervously and decide to trust him on this one.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the house fight.

Despite your assurances that you are okay, Finn makes sure you stay put inside Kylo's office/library. He practically deposited you in the middle of the room. Giving you a warning stare, he closes the door behind him and hurries over to kneel next to the couch where Poe lies in repose.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Poe assures his worried husband. He gingerly raises himself off the couch and waves off Finn's protests. "It's going to take a lot more than a pissed-off giant she-wolf to bring me down. Speaking of which, what happened to Malarus?"

You try not to be conscpicuous as you slowly edged closer to the door.

"I can hear you sneaking to the door, [Y/N]," Finn says drily without looking away from Poe. Poe snickers at the horrified expression on your face.

"Choobies!" you mutter as you moved away from the door. Your boss has super-hearing. Go figure. You sit on the edge of Kylo's desk. "Why don't you want me out there, Finn?"

Finn sighs. He moves to sit next to Poe on the couch and wrap an arm around his husband. "A few things. One, I had to get you--well, us--away from the aconite..."

"I know it's toxic," you butt in. "So how come Rey gets to be out there with the toxic stuff?"

"Because Rey already had a gas mask over her face before she deployed the aconite," answered Finn. "Two, Kylo and Hux needs to air out the living room so it's safe for the rest of us to get in there--and before you ask, aconite doesn't work on vampires, so Kylo and Hux are fine. And in answer to Poe's question: you do NOT want to see where that poker landed."

Your eyes widened. "She's dead?"

Finn nods.

"Where did it land?" Poe asks.

The question made Finn splutter.

"Poe B.B. Dameron, _what did I just say???_ " Finn asks sharply as the door opened. The three of you look up to see Hux enter the room. The next thing you know, you were lifted off your perch on the desk as Hux wraps you up in a cool embrace.

"You're okay," he murmurs against your shoulder, giving you a gentle squeeze that made you squeak before gently setting you back on your feet. Cold, slim hands gently lift your face for Hux's inspection; his wide blue-green eyes were the only hint to his concern for you.

In the background, you were dimly aware of throats getting cleared. A particularly loud (and disgusting) hocking managed to bring Hux to his senses. The redhead delicately cleared his throat.

"The living room has been aired out," he says crisply, pointedly ignoring the two snickering lovebirds on the couch. "I'm going back downstairs to rouse and fetch Huey's twin. Kenobi is asking for your assistance." He finally turns to look behind him; Poe and Finn immediately became solemn.

"You of all people know what that bite can mean for a human."

Finn immediately jumps to his feet and runs out the door, with Poe following behind him. You look away from the door to Hux as he opens the secret door to Kylo's personal underground rooms.

"Go with them, [Y/N]," he says softly. "Huey is going to need all the help he can get."

You give him a quick nod and run out to the now-brightly lit living room. You barely notice the opened glass doors, focusing on the small group near the corner where Hux had hauled the unfortunate Huey. Rey and Finn were kneeling near the bouncer's head while Poe and Kylo stood on the sides. What you saw as you got closer made you feel faintly sick.

Huey's black shirt was cut open to reveal the bite mark at the junction of his neck and shoulder. Poe collected a pile of crimson cotton pads with a gloved hand and deposited them into a small black garbage bag; Rey had finished cleaned the immediate area around the mark and was applying iodine and some kind of gray, semi-transparent goo to the wound. You take a closer look and shuddered in revulsion. Did Malarus transform her teeth to leave so many puncture marks on this guy?

You jump back as the unconscious man on the floor moans in pain.

"What's wrong with him?" you ask. "Why isn't he waking up?"

Finn leans back, looking grim. "Malarus bit him while she was in her werewolf form. The transformation is already starting, and all we can do is wait and hope he survives this."

Kylo grimaces. "Poor guy."

At your bewildered expression, Rey sighs and adds, "Werewolf bites on humans end on either of two things: a live werewolf or a dead human. The transformation is already starting, and it's not going to be pleasant at all."

"Aw man," you whisper, looking down at the large man groaning and twitching in pain. "Isn't there something you can give him to take the edge off the pain?"

"Nothing works," Finn says tonelessly, looking sadly at Huey. "It's been tried before, but the body just burns off any painkiller like a drop of water on a hot plate. It's all up to Huey now."

"How long will the transformation take?" you ask.

Finn rubs the back of his head. "Twelve hours, at least. It's going to be a long night."

The door to the library is violently slammed open. Louie runs out of it, panicking and wide-eyed as he spots the group surrounding his brother. Hux followed sedately as you make room for Louie on the floor.

"No, no, no, no!" Louie whimpers as he looks closely at the state his twin was reduced to. He turns to his employer and asks, "What's gonna happen to him?"

\--

It took a while to explain to Louie what could happen to his twin. Hearing that his twin brother has a 50% chance of surviving the transformation had reduced Louie to a blubbering mess, and you felt your heart go out to him. Even Rey was touched by Louie's grief.

"I'll stay behind to watch over him," she offered, patting Louie's hand after she bandaged Huey's injury.

At that point, Kylo Ren immediately offered the use of the "stage" bedroom on this level of the house for Huey's use. Louie was overwhelmed by the kindness offered by his boss as Kylo bridal-carried Huey into the aforementioned room. He didn't notice the looks you shared with Poe, Finn and Hux as you followed Kylo. Rey pretended not to notice.

"I should stay behind and keep an eye on Rey," Finn mutters to you and Poe as Kylo and Rey help Louie set up the room for his brother. "And in case Huey successfully transforms, someone has to be there to ease him into the transition."

Poe didn't like the sound of that, but he conceded. "Yeah, I wouldn't want to leave Rey here with Kylo mooning over her for the next twelve hours."

"You shouldn't be worried about Kylo acting like an idiot around her for the rest of the day," Hux said drily.

"Why do you say that?" Poe asks.

Hux points to a nearby window. The three of you turn to look at the night sky giving way to the pink dawn.

"Oh."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the long radio silence. A lot of things heaped up on my plate that I had to concentrate on, and it's only recently that the writing bug came back to get me going again. Fortunately, I wrote extensive notes before I completed the previous chapter! :)
> 
> BTW, whoever can come up with the best names for Poe's double middle initials will be credited in a future chapter. ;)


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dawn approaches...

Kylo looked peevish when the four of you reminded him that it was near daybreak, especially when he was told that Finn will be staying over during Huey's transformation. He ran a large hand through his hair and let out a huff. And then, to your surprise...

"Guess you're staying here for the day, Hux," Kylo grumbles rather good-naturedly. Hux looked amused by this offer rather than surprised. Particularly after the revelations earlier before Malarus infiltrated the house.

"Thank you," said Hux as he pulls up his cellphone. "I will need to inform Alastair about this development and get security up around him."

"I want to stay too," you suddenly blurt out. You blink as five sets of eyes turn to look at you; Rey had left the room and walked around Kylo. "I--well, I dunno how we can explain **me** coming back to work after Kylo abducted me in broad daylight, and I--I dunno..."

"No, that's actually a valid point, [Y/N]," said Rey. "It _will_ look suspicious if you just walk back into work like nothing happened. We still need to come up with a cover story of how you got away from your 'kidnapper' or why you got taken in the first place."

Rey turns to glare at Kylo; Kylo opened his mouth to say something when Poe beat him to it.

"Let's talk about this later tonight before Kylo and Hux get roasted in front of us," Poe said hurriedly. "Seriously, Kylo, what kind of vampire builds a glass house on top of a hill and lives in it?"

"Alright, alright, [Y/N] is welcome to stay here, too!" Kylo grumbles. "If you daywalkers need food, call up Dewey. His number is on the fridge and he can whip you up something and have it delivered here. If the caller ID doesn't convince him, put Louie on the phone."

With that, Kylo gives a worried look at the lightening sky before walking away, but not before he gave the tip of Rey's nose a playful pinch with his finger. While Rey sputtered and rubbed her nose, Kylo grabbed Hux's arm and dragged him off. Hux lets himself be dragged away after giving you a look.

"Red has got it bad for you, girl," Finn murmured.

"For me myself or because I look like his dead girlfriend?" you ask, shaking your head. You rub your eyes; you still weren't sure on how to process all these revelations. If only you could afford a month to think about all this...

Poe sighs and looks at his watch. "Guess I have to go back and open shop." He looks down at his all-black ensemble. "Think I can get away with looking like this the rest of the day?"

" **Hell** no," Finn snorts. "You gotta go back home and change, babe."

"[Y/N] also needs to freshen up," adds Rey. "Tell you what: Finn, you stay here and keep an eye on Huey and Louie while I go with Poe and [Y/N]. Once [Y/N] freshens up, I'll bring [Y/N] back to the house with me on the bike while Poe opens up the bookstore. We'll also bring anything you need from the house."

"That sounds like a plan," you agree.

\---

You decide to ride with Poe in the dark orange car, following Rey on the motorcycle. You all drove down the path from Kylo's house back into town. After a couple of minutes, Poe starts to yawn. You wondered how much sleep you boss actually had before he went to try to rescue you from Kylo's house. In an effort to keep Poe awake, you decide to attempt some small talk.

"So," you say brightly. "You have two middle names that start with B.B. What do they stand for?"

Poe snorts and shakes his head. "I'm not drunk enough to share that with you, [Y/N]," he chuckles. Then he lets out a sigh. "I can't believe we're working with the Clan of Ren now. If had you told me four years ago that this was going to happen, I'd be laughing my head off. And probably not hired you...I'm kidding!"

"Four years ago?" you repeated.

"Yeah. That was when I first heard about Finn. Or rather, Phineas."

You blink and look at him; Poe had a dreamy look on him. Was he in a sharing mood?

"How did it happen?" you ask. "I mean, you told me how you helped to get him out of the Clan."

"Mmm, it's a good story to tell our future kids one day; we're considering adoption," Poe murmurs. "Well, four years ago, I got a call from Rey asking me for a favor for a werewolf who helped her. She got cornered by three vampires from Ren--newly-fanged, by her estimate--after she stopped them from harassing a couple of girls from a club. Rey's an experienced fighter, but even she could barely hold her own with those blood-suckers until Finn got on the scene. He was actually there to do his own recruiting, but his heart wasn't in it. He was already getting flak from Phasma for not making any effort to bite people to increase werewolf membership and was trying to figure a way out."

"No way," you whisper. In the few years that you have worked for him, Finn Storm did not seem like the type of guy who would randomly bite people. Then again, you only found out recently that he's a werewolf...

"Yes way," Poe countered as he made a right turn. "Actually, that's the reason why his 'turning' with Phasma got delayed; Finn suspected that Phasma was planning to kill him for not living up to werewolf expectations."

"Shit," you gasp. "No wonder he was looking for a way out!"

Poe nodded. "He's seen personally what the bite victims go through. He told me how the other werewolves would bring in their victims and leave them in a room to go through their transformation. Most of them died within hours, alone and scared."

"Oh God..." you whisper. Those poor people. And Phasma wanted Finn to put someone through that, probably made him watch or hear their agony. You remember what Huey looked and sounded like before you left Kylo's house...no wonder Finn wanted to leave. You would have helped him, too.

Poe continued: "Finn didn't want to put anyone through that, so he had been looking for a way out...and then he met Rey. And then got whacked around a bit when she thought he was trying to get her, too."

"She did WHAT?!"

"It wasn't much, according to Finn," Poe quickly added. "Rey immediately stopped when he told her to get the hell out of there after they dispatched the vampires, warning her that more were coming. Eventually, he became something of her informant, telling her the movements of the Clan around Transylvania. A month later, the two got to talking and Rey decided to help Finn after he told her why he wanted to leave. That's where I came in; I whipped up the travel documents for 'Finn Storm' and sent them out to the Andors--they're a married couple who runs the inn where Rey and San Tekka would stay from time to time. Jyn and Cassian managed to help Finn leave the country eventually, telling him to bunk in with Maz in Naboo."

You gave a start as Poe turned the car into his driveway; you have finally reached his house. "Maz? Like, ' _Maz Kanata the really old lady who owns Takodana Cafe across the street_ ' Maz?"

"The one and only!" Poe says brightly as he killed the engine. The two of you exit the car as Rey takes off her helmet, having parked the motorcycle to the side. "Surprise: she's also a member of our group! Finn stayed above the Cafe for a week until her nephew, his wife and sister-in-law arrived, needing a place to stay. I offered to let Finn bunk in with me, we hit it off, and two years later, we got hitched."

"I was their Best Woman!" Rey added, grinning. "It was a beautiful outdoor wedding."

"You'll always be our Best Woman, Rey. I was glad Lor agreed to officiate the wedding," said Poe. He let out a big yawn. "Man, I hope Maz brewed up some really strong coffee today. I'm gonna need a whole pot of it!"

\---

After plying Poe with coffee and a quick breakfast, a shower, a change of clothes and a quick pack of toiletries and extra clothes, you and Rey return to Kylo Ren's house on the hill a couple of hours later. As you approach the gate, you finally got to appreciate the house that Kylo Ren built, a tall rectangle of glass framed with black metal trim and red blinds on the inside. You guessed that Kylo had part of the hill carved out to create his real living space. The front door was opened by Louie, who looked a bit unkempt since they last saw him.

"How is your brother holding up?" Rey asked after you hopped off the motorcycle. You decided that cars are better for your butt.

"Huey's still out of it," Louie answered mournfully as he took the bags from you. "Mr. Finn suggested putting him in the tub with cold water. My brother's temperature was going up and he figured that might help."

"That could work," Rey said thoughtfully. "Cold water might be better than cold air." When Louie entered the house, she leaned in to share more with you: "The First Order would put the werewolf bite victims in a cold room in their hideout and leave them there to complete their 'transformation'."

"Poe told me about that on the way to the house," you said. "They were cruel to those people."

"I know," Rey sighed. And then she yawned. "Oh wow, the coffee did nothing to me, ugh!"

"I can take the first watch with Finn, Rey," you offered. "I think I got more sleep than you, thanks to Kylo. I'll help Finn with Huey while you take a nap."

It took a bit more convincing before Rey agreed to a nap. She decided to take the couch in the library (the living room felt too exposed with all the glass) while you went to the "stage" bedroom. It was huge, with white walls that emphasized the king-sized bed covered in dark red bedsheets and a black comforter.

Well, you assumed the comforter would be covering the bed as it was lying rumpled on the floor. Louie walked out of the bathroom nearby, his black sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Part of his shirt was wet and sticking to his massive chest.

"I'm gonna go call Dewey about lunch today," he informed you. "You want anything in particular, Miss?"

You decided that you were in the mood for some pasta, so you requested for some penne pesto and grilled chicken. When Louie left the room, you headed for the bathroom to see what Louie left.

The bathroom, much like the bedroom, was predominantly white. Black grout was used to delineate the white tiles, and it looked like the grout was bleeding down to the black bathtub and the black marble sink. Huey was lying unconscious in the tub, his head sticking out from a layer of water that covered his chest. Finn was sitting next to Huey on the closed toilet (also black), withdrawing a hand from Huey's forehead.

"How is he?" you ask Finn.

Finn looks up at you, giving you a small smile. "He's heating up, as expected, but it looks like the cold water is helping. He managed to fall asleep after we covered him up with water."

You take another look at Huey. He does look like he's sleeping peacefully (and thank goodness for that towel covering his modesty, because he wasn't wearing clothes).

You decide to sit on the edge of the tub before asking, "Sorry if this seems personal, but what was it like surviving a werewolf bite, Finn?"

Finn gave a start at this question.

"Bitten? I wasn't bitten, [Y/N]; I was born a werewolf."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is longer than usual, because I do need to make it up to you, good reader.
> 
> Yeah, RL happened. I got a new job and time to adjust to the schedule, but thank goodness I brought a notebook with me!
> 
> [Inspiration for Kylo's house](https://www.dwell.com/home/glass-house-23b3c6f6).


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You find out more about Finn's past. This takes a more serious turn than usual...

"Y-you weren't bitten?" you ask in surprise.

Finn nodded. "I was born in the pack, under the Clan of Ren," he said softly. "My mother was a werewolf; she seduced my birth father and attempted to turn him, but he didn't survive the transformation."

"Oh Finn, I'm so sorry," you say softly.

Finn shrugged. "I never knew him, and I have very few memories of my own mother. She was killed during a mission for Snoke when I was about four or five, and I was raised by the pack. I only knew about my mother from the older werewolves, including Phasma. They were the only family I've known, but I never fit in because they always reminded me that my father was a human who didn't survive to become a werewolf, my mother's failure."

You stare at him, incredulous. "What the hell? That wasn't your fault!"

"Try telling _them_ that," Finn snorted. "I didn't step into the real world until I was eighteen. Phasma grouped me with some older werewolves who could show me how to seduce humans to turn into werewolves. By the next day, none of the five people they bit survived the night."

"Dang," you respond weakly, giving Huey a quick look. "And you never bit anyone?"

Finn shook his head. "I couldn't do it. The next seven years after that, I just trolled the bars. They eventually demoted me to sanitation at the Clan, but I prefered that to hurting people. By the time I met Rey, Phasma was getting tired of waiting for me to make the first move. I actually heard her discussing with her mate Tormund about who was going to do it; this was a couple of days before Rey introduced me to the Andors, who helped me sneak me out of the country."

"Holy shit," you breathed. "You got out of there just in time!"

"I know," he said, huffing in amusement. Then he turned serious. "And after what Kylo and Hux shared last night, I'm beginning to realize why Phasma is looking for me: she wants to create a new pack. Since she knows I'm alive, all she needs to do is to make me beholden to her so that I'll never leave."

You slump your shoulders. Judging from what you've learned about werewolf transformations, it would be easier for Cressida Phasma to grab Finn and--hypnotize him or something--rather than wait for a bitten human to turn.

"Fuck."

\---

You spent the next hour helping Finn watch over Huey. Submerging the unconscious man into a tub of cold water did seem to be helping him (as well as wiping his face with a damp towel), but Finn had to drain the tub when the water got too warm. In fact, it was beyond warm...

"Shit!" you mutter, putting your hand under the tap at the sink. The water in the tub was scalding! "How is Huey not cooking in that???" you yelp at Finn, who had reached into the hot water like it wasn't a big deal to yank out the stopper.

"He's undergoing the transformation," Finn answered, standing back to watch the water recede, but not before adjusting the towel over Huey's privates. "Werewolves can produce and withstand a good amount of heat."

"Poe must love you during winter," you murmur as you turn off the tap. Judging from Finn's snort of amusement, it was an accurate observation. "Do you think adding ice to the water would help him some?"

"Can't hurt to try," Finn replied.

With that, you head to the kitchen. Conveniently, the massive black refrigerator (does Kylo Ren not recognize a color other than black or white?) has a built-in ice maker. Hit with a sudden inspiration, you root around the kitchen and find a large stainless steel cookpot, which you proceeded to slowly fill with ice with the aid of a smaller pot with a long handle that you were able to fit under the ice maker.

When Louie exited the library, you filled up the large pot with ice. He helped you bring the full pot of ice to the bathroom, and by that it meant that Louie hefted the larger pot all by himself, with you trailing behind him holding the smaller pot.

"How much of this ice does Huey need?" Louie asked.

"All of it," you replied as you approached the door to the bathroom. Louie gave you a weird look.

It took a minute to explain to Louie why his twin needed so much ice. The skeptical and confused bouncer was finally convinced when he put a hand into the water and yelped just like you did. To your horror and Finn's surprise, he immediately grabbed the pot and dumped the contents right onto his brother's middle.

"We were going to spread all that ice over Huey evenly, man!" you whine as you gently sprinkle the ice from the smaller pot around Huey's shoulders. "Guess I'll get some more ice, then."

You take the empty pot from Louie and trudge back out to the kitchen. You had just set the large pot on the floor when you hear some tapping on your right.

Turning to the sound, you nearly jumped out of your sneakers: there was a man outside the glass house! He looked to be about the same height as you, with wavy brown hair framing a pale, square-jawed face and large, deep-set dark eyes.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" you shriek, dropping the smaller pot. How did he get past the gate?

On the other side of the glass, the man's eyes widened and he raised his palms out to you, looking panicky. You saw his mouth move, but you couldn't hear what he was saying.

"What?!"

The man then clasped his hands and mouthed, _I'm lost!_

You take another look at him: he did look quite disheveled in his blue jeans and blue checkered shirt. But that could be some advanced thinking or acting on his part. You're not stupid. You don't know how he got past the gate and the wall surrounding the grounds--and you saw that intimidating white wall when you and Rey approached the house on the motorcycle. You gestured to him to wait a moment.

Then you take a deep breath before bellowing, "GUYS, THERE'S A GUY OUTSIDE THE HOUSE! I'M GONNA SEE WHAT'S UP."

You didn't stop to find out if the other people in the house heard you as you reached down to pick up the smaller pot. Looking back at the stranger, you realize that he didn't hear you hollering at your friends. Must be some damned good glass.

You gesture to the stranger where the front door is located. He nods in response and follows your way to the front. You reach the black-painted (you had to roll your eye at this color choice) door and check to see if the chain lock is secured. You square your shoulders and raise the pot in your hand before opening the door a bit.

"Who are you?" you ask as you peer through the space. The man on the other side looked sheepishly at you.

"The name's Hubert, miss," the man replied. "Sorry to scare you like that, but I got lost while hiking and got separated from my group. I was wondering if..."

"How'd you get here?" you interrupt him. "How'd you get past the gate and the wall surrounding the property?"

There was a brief flash of irritation. Had you not been staring at him so intently, you might have missed it. Your grip on the pot handle tightened.

"I-I climbed up the wall," Hubert stuttered.

"You must be really good climbing a slippery wall," you say drily.

Hubert opened his mouth for a comeback, but another voice behind him growled, "Stop messin' around and just grab the broad!"

"Who--?"

**KZAT!**

The next thing you knew was pain. Radiating from your upper arm to the rest of your body, your muscles suddenly spasm painfully and you crumple to the floor, twitching.

You were unable to scream as you hear a sharp crack and find Hubert standing over you, grinning like a maniac.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, I am SO sorry for such a delay again. Things are a-happening and I have preparations to make for a big move.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You were scared, far more so of these unknown men than from the vampires and werewolves you've encountered recently.

Oh, you've done it. You've done goofed.

Hubert had leaned down to grab you by the ankles just as the door to the library slammed open. You knew who it was, but you couldn't move to see her; you were still shaking from the effects of the taser. You attempt to turn your head just as another person hovered over you (you could still feel hands on your ankles). Something cold and circular was pressed to your cheek.

"Let go of her!" Rey roared. You had a crazy view of her standing a few feet away from you while brandishing the batons.

"What the hell?!" cried another voice; you couldn't see him, but Louie seemed to have arrived just as Rey appeared.

By your feet, Hubert chuckled.

"You're in no position to bargain, lady," growled a voice close to your head; it was the other guy that distracted you right before Hubert fried your nerves. "Put down the sticks and open the gates if ya don't want your friend here losing her head."

You hear something click; the other guy was holding a gun to your head! _Oh crap..._

Rey let out a frustrated snarl as she dropped the batons to the floor and kicked them away from her.

"Thank you," said the growly voice. You hear a sound like tape being unrolled. "Now if you don't mind, we'll be bringing your friend with us as insurance..."

The next thing you know, your wrists and ankles were quickly taped together and your upper arms taped to your sides (these guys brought a lot of duct tape) before the muscle spasms stopped and you were hauled into the backseat of an old pickup truck parked outside the walls of Kylo's estate. Through the shakes, you managed to catch a glimpse of the growly man, who was a heavy-set individual with a head and face that reminded you of an oddly-shaped potato covered with wiry black hair.

The two men quickly jumped into the seats at the front. The truck roared to life and sped away from the house and the safety of Kylo's house.

You were scared, far more so of these unknown men than from the vampires and werewolves you've encountered recently. You don't know who they are or what they want. You couldn't blame Rey, Finn and Louie for letting these strangers take you, particularly at gunpoint.

You decide to find out for yourself.

"W-what d-d'you w-wa-ant fr-from me-e?" you managed to ask. Your voice was shaking from the lingering effects of the taser and from the bouncing of the truck.

Hubert, who wasn't driving the truck, turned around to look at you with an odd look on his face.

"You're the bait, missy," he said happily.

"Shaddup, 'bert," growled the other man without looking away from the windshield. "She doesn't need to know!"

"I won't tell her EVERYTHING, Kurt!" Hubert shot back, rolling his eyes before turning to face away from you. "I'm not THAT stupid!"

Then, after a few moments of silence...

"Your names are BERT and KURT?" you ask loudly.

You had no idea why you asked that odd question. You could only chalk it up to either an unknown death wish or the taser doing more lasting damage to your brain.

From your vantage point, you saw the two men look at each other briefly. Kurt let out a groan and shook his head while Bert--or rather, Hubert--turned to look at you with a "WTF?!" look.

" _Why does everyone keep asking that???_ " Hubert spluttered. You could only shrug at him.

"People have been asking us that since were in high school," Hubert continued, groaning. He lifted up a hand and started ticking things off on his fingers. "High school, then that biker gang that rejected us 'coz we can't drive a Harley, Chuck E Cheese's, that nerdy little lady at the coffee place, that big werewolf lady..."

"SHADDAP, BERT!" Kurt suddenly roared, making you jump as he backhanded his partner-in-crime without looking away from the road. Hubert yelped and punched Bert back on his forearm. "WATCH IT, I'M DRIVIN' HERE!"

But you picked up on what Hubert had said: "The big werewolf lady? You're working for _Phasma_?!"

Hubert blinked and looked back at you, "Who told you that?"

"BERT!"

"I DIDN'T SAY NOTHIN'!" Hubert shrieked back. "I-it just slipped out, 'k?! I'm just excited to turn into a werewolf, that's all!"

"Bert, I swear, I'm gonna park this truck so that I can use both my hands to strangle ya..."

"You want to become WEREWOLVES?" you ask loudly over their bickering.

"Aw, shit, what have you done lady? Now he's NEVER gonna shut up!" Kurt groaned. Then, in a lower tone that you still heard over the shuddering of the truck: "Should have taped her mouth back at the house..."

"I heard that!" you growled.

Meanwhile, Hubert looked like an oversized, excited kid. "She's gonna turn us into a werewolf! We're going to turn into wolves at the light of the moon, get super strong and super fast, and no one can stop us! We just need to prove ourselves to her before she turns us. We just need to prove ourselves and then she's gonna make us werewolves! Easy-peasy!" He cracks his knuckles. "Those biker guys think they're so great...they're gonna be so _sorry_ for making fun of us, I can't WAIT! And Chuck E Cheese's, too!"

You raise your eyebrow at him.

"Really? Just like that?" you ask him slowly. "I'd snap my fingers, but..." You raise your bound hands a bit.

Hubert nods eagerly. "Just like that! She just needs to bite us, but what's a bit of a bite when you turn into something AWESOME?!"

You couldn't stop making a snort of amusement. Hubert looked at you curiously.

"Wha--what's so funny, lady?"

You shook your head at him. "Is that how she sold you the werewolf thing? One bite, and _POOF!_ , instant werewolf?"

Hubert looked at Kurt; though you couldn't see the other man's face, you heard him let out a derisive snort. "What do YOU know about it?" he asked curtly.

You manage another shrug. "Well, y'know--back at the house you took me from--we were taking care of a guy who was just bitten by a werewolf. Poor guy was in a lot of pain and burning up such a fever, you can boil water just by putting him in a tub of it. And he was bitten last night and..." You pause here for a bit of drama as you look down at your chest, looking solemn, before looking back up. "It doesn't look good. I heard from a very reliable source that a bite could end with you being dead if you're not worthy enough."

You might be fudging the facts a bit, but if Phasma was going to lie to these men about the realities of werewolf bites, _you_ can stretch the truth a bit.

"You're lyin'," said Kurt, sounding like he didn't believe a word you said.

"Am I?" you shoot back. "We can prove it if you want; just turn back to the house and see for yourself..."

"Ha!" Kurt shouts back. "Whaddaya take us for, missy? Think you can fool us into going back to your friends? Phasma's a _real_ werewolf, she knows how it is..."

"I'm telling the truth, man," you cut in loudly. "I told you what I heard from a real werewolf, too. He was at the house..."

"Why would she lie to us?!" Hubert yowled, looking between you and Kurt so fast, you thought he'd break his neck. He paused to look and point a finger at you. "Why would YOU lie to us?!"

Kurt shook his head and yelled over Hubert's hysterics. "I told you, she's trying to fool us--!"

"Hey, it's YOUR funeral, tough guy!" you yell back.

"SHADDAP, YOU BI--!"

**CRASH!**

All three of you started yelling as a slim, hooded figure landed heavily on the hood of the truck. The vehicle started swerving dangerously as Kurt attempted to force the stranger to lose their balance.

Hubert was even more hysterical now. "YOU'RE GONNA GET US KILLED, KURT!"

The stranger started punching the windshield, damaging it considerably on the first blow as its surface bloomed with cracks. Kurt started swerving wildly again; you had no choice, bound as you were, but to slide to and fro at the back.

"This is gonna get 'im," Kurt muttered.

Screeching sounds rent the air as Kurt hit the brakes hard. You immediately roll off the seat and onto the floor, making you lose your breath as you land hard on the floor. Unfortunately, you landed in a way that had your back facing the backs of the front seats. You couldn't see what was happening, only hear it.

Kurt let out a whoop. "Did you see that sucker fly!? I got him good!"

"I think he flew back ten feet!" Hubert hollered back. "Wait, wait...he's standing up, Kurt! How...?"

You almost didn't hear the glass break and the metal groan over the combined screams of your captors. And then they were suddenly silenced.

The door next to your head was wrenched open and a pair of slim, strong hands gently pulled you out from the back seat.

"[Y/N]? Are you alright?"

You gasped. It couldn't be...it was still daylight!

"Hux?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I apologize for the late update of this fic. I am typing this right now in another country, where I'll write as much as I can while I acclimatize.
> 
> The names of the guys here were inspired from two people; sufficed to say, they're not my favorite people.

**Author's Note:**

> After lurking for months reading all the Star Wars fics, I finally got an inspiration that would work! I'll post that inspiration in a future chapter to avoid spoilers. ;)


End file.
